Why Me?

Esther 4:14 “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another pace; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther was the queen of King Ahasuerus at a time when the Jews were in captivity in a foreign land. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, had learned of an evil plan to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom, and he asked Esther to petition the king to spare the Jews. Esther initially refused because the king had not summoned her, and if anyone approached the king without being asked, they could be killed for their boldness. Mordecai tells Esther that the Jews will be saved with or without her, but it could be that God had placed her in this place for this very reason… to ask the king for mercy on behalf of the Jews. Esther finally agrees to go to King Ahasuerus; the king consents to hear her, and the Jews are eventually saved.

Taking a stand is never easy, and taking a stand for God can be very challenging these days. We are living in perilous times as described in 2 Timothy 3, and standing up for what the Bible states is right can be very difficult. It’s easy to do so in a church where everyone is like-minded, but what about in the world where Christians are constantly ridiculed and hated? My life is not on the line like Esther’s was when she approached Ahauserus. It is not in peril like the lives of modern-day Christians who live in countries where sharing the gospel can result in torture, imprisonment, or even death. Sometimes I wonder if my stand for God is really that important? Absolutely!

When I hand out a gospel tract to the grocery clerk, I am making a stand for Christ! When I invite a neighbor’s child to Sunday school or VBS, I am making a stand for Jesus! When I bow my head in a restaurant to pray over my meal, I am making a stand for my Lord and Saviour! There are lots of ways to stand up for Jesus, and each one is important to the cause of Christ no matter how minor they may seem.

So, after a lot of prayer, meditation upon God’s Word, and advice from my family, I have decided to start writing a blog about what the Lord is teaching me as I grow in my Christian faith. It is time for me to stop asking, “Why me?” and instead ask, “Why not me?” It’s a small stand for God, but I am reminded that God can do plenty with just a little. Just ask the young boy who only had a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish in his lunch.

And who knows? Maybe I am here for such a time as this.