Wh
at does God have planned for you? Do you believe that God has prepared you for this moment in this point in time? Do you believe that God shapes history to perfectly fit each of his children so he or she may best serve him?
The Bible clearly shows us God’s blueprint when, for instance, we look at the life of Moses. It was neither destiny, luck, fate, nor coincidence, that Moses went from a basket, to a palace, to leading a nation.
Or we can consider Joseph, who was hated, sold, accused, convicted, jailed, and eventually raised to the rank of second in all of Egypt. He was indeed the right person at the right time and in the right place. Joseph himself said, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. . . . So then it was not you who sent me here, but God” (Genesis 45:5-8).
Does God shape history around his people? Has he planned every detail of our lives so they fit his intricate and detailed history? Consider Esther. Here was a beautiful young woman who lived her life as an orphan in the land of Persia under the rule of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus).
Because the king was angry with his wife Vashti, he began searching for a new queen. During this search he discovered Esther, a beautiful Hebrew girl. Soon Esther found favor with the king and was chosen for the high position of queen of Persia. As a Jew, however, she was hated by several within the kingdom who wanted her people destroyed. Yet, because of Esther’s boldness, she found favor with the king, and the perpetrators themselves were hanged on a gallows. This woman was chosen in time by God to spare the Jews from certain extinction.
Was it fate or luck that Esther just happened to be at the right place at the right time, or was it the underlying providence of God that made the pieces fit perfectly so history would be shaped by his almighty hand?
A statement in the book of Esther addresses this question. It helps give us a glimpse of what really happened to Moses and Joseph, David and Paul, as well as to us. In chapter 4, Esther’s uncle Mordecai makes a bold statement to Esther: “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this” (verse 14). For such a time as this! Did God really plan history around Esther for such a time as this? Did God save Moses in the Nile River to become the leader of his people for such a time as this? Did God send Joseph to Egypt for such a time as this? Did the Lord train David in the courts of Saul for such a time as this? And if so, did God place us here today, at this particular moment in time, for such a time as this?
David wrote in Psalm 139 that all our days are ordained for us before they ever happen. Proverbs 16:9 states, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” What an intricate network God has designed to accommodate all of his plans—from wars to weddings and from politics to professions—for each of his children. Dates, times, places, relationships, talents, all move in harmony within God’s plan. What a comforting thought it is to know that we are not random beings, acting out random lives with no plan to our existence. Instead, it is God who has positioned us to be here at this moment in time and in this place to serve his divine purpose. Truly we can rejoice with David who prayed, “My times are in your hands” (Psalm 31:15).
Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Amen.
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