Voices of the True Woman Movement—Part 5

As I was sitting in the airport waiting for my plane, I read the chapter entitled, “For such a time as this,” by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. Nancy shares the account of Esther in the Bible, from which the title of the chapter is taken. Esther, a Jewess, was taken from her family by the ruling King Ahasuerus and eventually became his queen. I’m sure Esther was scared not knowing why God had allowed her to be put in this particular situation, but as I shared in my blog on Tuesday, God works all things out for good to those who believe in Him (Romans 8:28).

When Mordecai (Esther’s uncle) asked Esther to beg the king that the Jewish people not be killed, Esther explained the she herself could be killed for doing this. But Mordecai reminded her:

Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:13–14)

And so Esther was faithful to God and her people. She prayed and fasted (along with many others) and then went before the king with her request, and God saved the Jewish people through her. Nancy reminds us:

Like Esther, we too have been placed in our world, “for such a time as this,” for the honor and glory of our Father. And we, like she, must live in light of that calling, giving this world a vision of His reality, power, and grace. (p. 73)

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we’re not impacting the world for Christ. The world has told women that they need popularity, power and prestige to make a difference—that our impact as wives and mothers in our families is insignificant. But it is not insignificant to God because He has told women numerous times in Scripture that our roles as wives and mothers—our “home work”—is to be our number-one priority outside of God Himself (i.e., Titus 2:5). Nancy continues:

Whether it was Esther then or you today, only God knows—and only time will tell—why He has sovereignly placed you where you are right now, at this moment in history. You have been given a role to play, and no one else can fill it. (pp. 79–80)

You might be thinking, “Well, how can I impact the world for Christ when it seems like all I get done are the everyday things of cooking, cleaning, and running errands?” Nancy states:

You are a tool in the hand of God, being applied to situations that just feel like “everyday life” to you but are actually backlit stages where the purposes of God are being put on display from your street address. (p. 80)

There is so much more I could blog about this chapter, but I need to end and hope it has brought encouragement to you as it has to me. Please get the book, Voices of the True Woman Movement, and read it for yourself. I hope to blog more next week on my experiences at the True Woman conference.