A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Send a message to Stephen & Brooksyne
Thursday,
March
18,
2021
"For
Such A Time As This"
Message
summary: May the Lord grant all of us
"Esther moments" when "for such a time as this" we
faithfully serve Him wherever we are placed by
God's providence.
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
"Then
Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, 'Do not
imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape
any more than all the other Jews. For if you
keep silent at this time, liberation and rescue
will arise for the Jews from another place, and
you and your father’s house will perish. And who
knows whether you have not attained royalty for
such a time as this?' Then Esther told them to
reply to Mordecai, 'Go, gather all the Jews who
are found in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat
or drink for three days, night or day. I and my
attendants also will fast in the same way. And
then I will go in to the king, which is not in
accordance with the law; and if I perish, I
perish.' So Mordecai went away and did just as
Esther had commanded him" (Esther 4:13-17).
Yesterday afternoon we
attended the dramatic presentation on Esther at
the Sight and Sound Theater here in Lancaster
County. We were again blessed to be reminded of
God's care for His people through the ages. The
story has two main character Esther and Mordecai,
who we wrote about yesterday.Esther
(her Hebrew name was Hadassah) is a young Hebrew
woman who is described as "beautiful of form
and face" (2:7). When her father and
her mother died Mordecai took her as his own
daughter and raised her.
She
was chosen to be the queen and providentially
found herself in a position to save her people.
Many
years ago I heard a message about what the speaker
called "Esther moments". These are the special
times when God's purpose for our life is
especially apparent albeit in unexpected ways.
This concept is based on the daily text when
Mordecai encouraged Esther to take a stand. The
Jews faced annihilation (as they so often have
throughout history) and Esther was in a position
to act for their preservation by appealing to the
king.
Mordecai was confident that, in one way or another, the deliverance of the Jews would come. "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place". Amazingly in the bigger picture God's grand purposes are always fulfilled with or without our cooperation. God has spoken, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" (Isaiah 46:10).
However Mordecai challenged Esther to be the agent of God's deliverance as expressed in the daily text, "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Scripture records that Esther did listen to Mordecai and heeded his challenge to present herself to the king, even if it meant death, "if I perish, I perish".
Mordecai was confident that, in one way or another, the deliverance of the Jews would come. "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place". Amazingly in the bigger picture God's grand purposes are always fulfilled with or without our cooperation. God has spoken, "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" (Isaiah 46:10).
However Mordecai challenged Esther to be the agent of God's deliverance as expressed in the daily text, "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"
Scripture records that Esther did listen to Mordecai and heeded his challenge to present herself to the king, even if it meant death, "if I perish, I perish".
Well,
as most of you know, God did use her to facilitate
a great deliverance!
Through the outstanding example of Esther, who
took a consecrated stand, God has a message to all
who truly follow Him; we are not to be people of
fear when we find ourselves in a place where we
would rather not be, but we are to obey Him and
persevere, even if it means death.
Today all over the world God is working through His people, accomplishing His purpose. Some had a decision in regard to where they are, but others find themselves in a hard place they had no choice in. We especially consider those who are tortured, imprisoned, or separated from their families because of their stand for Christ.
At times like this may we especially sense His work through us in a specific way. What a great joy these experiences bring to our spiritual walk. May the Lord grant all of us these "Esther moments" when "for such a time as this" we faithfully serve Him wherever we are placed by God's providence. Often we may not immediately sense the significance of our obedience but obedience always brings blessing. Let us stay faithful!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Today all over the world God is working through His people, accomplishing His purpose. Some had a decision in regard to where they are, but others find themselves in a hard place they had no choice in. We especially consider those who are tortured, imprisoned, or separated from their families because of their stand for Christ.
At times like this may we especially sense His work through us in a specific way. What a great joy these experiences bring to our spiritual walk. May the Lord grant all of us these "Esther moments" when "for such a time as this" we faithfully serve Him wherever we are placed by God's providence. Often we may not immediately sense the significance of our obedience but obedience always brings blessing. Let us stay faithful!
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, You appoint Esther moments to
every devout believer who wants to wholeheartedly
serve You and Your kingdom. There are times when You
place me in an undesired, unfamiliar or even hostile
place and ask me to be fully reliant upon You. There
is great blessing when I follow Your leading, I grow
more mature in my faith, and I am useful in Your
kingdom. Help me not to fear the outcome, for that
is in Your hands. Thank You for Your prompting and
entrusting me to be a part of your grand purpose.
What a privilege and responsibility. Amen.Note:
The show prompts a consideration of a third major
character in the book, the chief antagonist, Haman
the Agagite, which we will consider tomorrow.
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
Sight and Sound Theater "Our purpose is to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ and sow the Word of God into the lives of our customers, guests and fellow workers by visualizing and dramatizing the scriptures, through inspirational productions, encouraging others and seeking always to be dedicated and wise stewards of our God-given talents and resources."
Esther
Information about the show we saw
yesterday.
The
lion and the lamb in front of the Sight
and Sound Theater has become the iconic
spot for photos.
After
watching the show we headed over to the
Old Windmill Farm to join the Lapp family
for a special dinner prepared for our
Ester.
Brooksyne,
being raised a farm girl in Oklahoma,
loves animals and enjoyed holding the
latest addition to the Old Windmill Farm's
animal variety, a baby lamb.
It
looks like these chickens are having
meeting time!
These
baby pigs look like they are covered in
red dye but they're under a heat lamp.
A
farmer's work is never done. After dinner
Jesse had to hitch up the mule team and
apply fertilizer to one of his fields. In
the background is the Red Caboose Motel
and Casey Jones Restaurant.
Send
a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
To receive the
"Daily Encouragement" each Monday-Friday
through email see this
page to subscribe to our email list. You can also
subscribe to the Wordpress rss feed or
through a Wordpress email subscription.
(See the email subscription on the right side
after opening this page)
Permissions:
Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and
distribute any material on Daily Encouragement
Net, in part or in whole, in any format,
provided that you do not alter the wording in
any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of
reproduction. It is our desire to spread this
material, not protect or restrict it. We do
request that you keep the contact, copyright and subscription
information intact.
We want to thank all who financially
support our ministry. We
realize there are many fine ministries and
causes requesting support but if the Lord
would lead you we surely need and appreciate
the financial support from our readers and
listeners. Our
ministry labor is comprised of approximately
half our time to Daily Encouragement and the
other half to our chaplaincy ministry to
companies for which we receive compensation.
Each of these ministries essentially is the
same as a part-time job (20+ hours weekly) for
each of us. Our goal for many years is that
each would provide half of our ministry
expenses and income.
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
If you would consider making a donation to our ministry see here for more information.
To donate directly online here. This will open to a page that designates the offering to: WEBER,STEPHEN CHAP, Specialized Chaplaincy Ministry ID: 700001-237376
Please Note: We
also provide this easy option due to the
convenience, for international supporters,
and for those who may not be concerned
regarding receiving an official tax
deductible receipt. Click here to
send an offering using PayPal. This
will open to a page that states "Brooksyne
Weber".Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
© Copyright 2021 Stephen C. & Brooksyne
Weber - All Rights Reserved
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
Daily Encouragement Net - 495 Kraybill Church Road - Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA