In the Right Place at the Right Time: Guest Post by Elizabeth

Happy weekend, friends! I hope you have had a lovely week so far. Today I am excited to present a guest post by a long distance friend of mine, Elizabeth! She has been reading this blog almost since I started it, (which I appreciate so much!!), so I thought it would be awesome to feature a post by her. She has been such an example and encouragement to me in the time that we've talked via email, blogger, etc. :) Without further ado, here is her post!

In the Right Place at the Right Time

Esther 2:2,8 "Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king: So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women."

I won't go into every detail of the story of Esther, so if it's been a while since you've read it, I highly recommend reading through it again! Esther wasn't in the king's palace by choice. She just so happened to be one of the virgins taken there at that time. This was a very volatile time for her people. Haman hated the Jews and wanted them all killed! This wasn't a situation to handle lightly. I can't imagine being in her position! But if you read the whole story, you will see how everything worked out just the right way, in just the right time. The verse that sticks out to me the most in this whole book, and the one I want to focus on, is in the last part of verse 14, in chapter 4, when Mordecai exhorts Esther "And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" I love reading this story, because you can obviously see that it was no coincidence that Esther was there at this particular time. It always amazes me how, throughout all of the Bible, God places His people at just the right place at a particular time to accomplish His purposes.

How can we apply this story to our lives? I'm sure there are a number of ways, but I want to focus on the theme of Esther 4:14b. We ALL find ourselves in difficult situations from time to time, and often it's a circumstance that we didn't choose. It may be a difficult situation with your church, your family, your health, your job, etc. It may cause you to be frustrated, confused, lonely, disappointed, discouraged...you name it. And it's so easy to see a change in our circumstances as the perfect solution. And trust me, I'm as guilty of that as anyone else!

And let me go ahead and clarify. There may very well be times when God does want you to leave your job, change your ministry, move to a new church, or a new town, etc. And the seasons of your life will often change. But there are also going to be times when God wants you right where you are, for such a time as this. I know it's not easy to stick it out during those times. I know how easy it is to feel stuck where you are. But God knows exactly where you are, and it's no accident that you're there! And never underestimate what God can do through you, if you just stay faithful to Him. As Mykaela pointed out in a past blog post, God isn't just looking for talented, amazing, creative, Christians. He's looking for FAITHFUL Christians. Will you be faithful where He has you today?

Elizabeth

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Wow...I don't know about you guys, but this post was really thought provoking to me. You may have heard this quote, but I love it:

God may not be changing your circumstances because he wants to change you through them.

All things work together for good to God's people, especially when they honor him in whatever position they find themselves in! I really appreciate Elizabeth taking the time and effort to write this post for me. I hope you all are as blessed by it as I was!

Mykaela