Imagine a young girl taken from her home to a king's palace. For twelve months she is given beauty treatments with oil and special perfumes. Sweet! She got to choose fancy clothing and exquisite jewelry to wear. Every girl's dream! She was ultimately crowned as the Queen. Is this a fairy tale? Sounds like one to me. But, oh no, it is not. This is a real story. The young girls' name is Esther. I can only assume the entire time Esther was being pampered and trained she was wondering to herself, "Why me? What on earth am I doing here?" Esther discovered some time later her purpose for being chosen to go to the palace and being made queen. The King had a powerful official in his kingdom by the name of Haman. Haman was enraged by Esther's uncle, a Jew, so Haman determined to destroy all the Jewish people in the empire. The plot thickens...Wicked Haman spent the next year devising a scheme to do just that and then bribed the King. The King gave in and told Haman he could do what he wanted. And so, the fate of the Jews in that empire was sealed. Until....Esther's uncle, Mordecai, learned of the scheme and told Esther. Esther sprang into action...giving instructions for the Jews to pray and fast and then devising her own little scheme to have a banquet for the King and Haman where she would reveal Haman's plot to kill the Jews. In the end, Haman gets what he deserves, Mordecai is rewarded with fine robes and a position of authority in the palace, the Jews were filled with joy for being saved and they were honored everywhere, and Esther realized her purpose. Mordecai says it best, "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this?" Esther 4: 14 I believe she was.
While this is a very brief synopsis of the story of Esther, it very clearly shows that she did not know what God had planned down the road. Usually, we don't either. One thing we can be assured of from this story -- God does have a plan. He always has a plan and a purpose for each person just as there was a plan and purpose for each person in the story of Esther. Just as Esther's purpose was hers alone, your purpose is individual to you. No one else has exactly the same reason for being on earth. No one else has exactly the same reason for being wherever they are or with whomever they are with. "This is what the Lord says -- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow." Isaiah 48: 17 This verse is written to you as an individual. It is written to each of us as individuals. I think that is why Jesus is called our personal Savior.
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me." Jeremiah 29:11-13 God created you to seek Him, to know Him, to have a relationship with Him and to bring Him glory. "Bring all who claim me as their God, for I have made them for my glory. It was I who created them." Isaiah 43:7
If bringing glory to God is one of our main purposes, how can we do that in our daily lives? What that looks like for each of us may be very different. For some just walking into a room glorifies God. These are people who bring with them joy wherever they go. People are naturally attracted to them because of their uplifting nature. For others glorifying God is much more subtle - perhaps behind the scenes service. For yet others, it might be the use of a gift or talent for God's glory, singing, for example. "God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it will all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. " 1 Peter 4: 10&11 God gives each person that knows Him, a gift. Using that gift brings glory to God. There is a children's song called This Little Light of Mine. The words go like this: "This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine"....next verse..."Hide it under a bushel - NO - I'm going to let it shine"...next verse..."Shine all over the neighborhood...let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." God wants us to let our little lights shine - by using our gifts and talents for Him - to bring Him glory - to let the light shine on Him, so that all men will see Him. That is how we bring Him glory in our daily lives. That is ultimately our purpose.
Ok, you say, I can't sing and I am not necessarily the life of a party, but I can cut hair. How can I use that talent to glorify God? You can bring glory to God by being the best hair stylist you can be. You can glorify God by being a good listener - women in the hairdresser's seat want to talk - they need someone to listen. You can glorify God by just smiling at your client. Do you see what I mean? Whatever you are good at doing, look at it from the perspective of God - why did He give YOU that talent? What does He want to do with it through you? That, my friend, is your purpose and fulfills His plan.
Can all of us be an Esther and save a nation? No. But can each of us do our part in bringing glory to God? Absolutely! That is your purpose and that is my purpose! "He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." Ephesians 4:16
I have found as I get older that knowing that I am a part of God's plan and that He has a very specific purpose for my life has been empowering. I didn't always know - I had to ask. You won't have to guess, you won't have to figure it out for yourself. As His child, you can ask Him to reveal to you how He wants to use you. You can ask Him: "Father, Why on earth am I here? What is my purpose?" If you listen and are prepared to obey, He will tell you. He may tell you through scripture. He may tell you through another person. He may tell you through an event. But He will reveal it to you. Rest assured! You have to be paying attention in order to know which direction He wants to lead you!
He has promised that if we trust Him, He will point us in the right direction. So, this new year, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5 & 6
You don't know that God may need another Esther (or another Mordecai) for such a time as this!
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