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Gail-Friends - For Such a Time as This
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Gail-Friends: For such a time as this
By Gail Golden Publicist and Ministry Partner - Pocket Full of Change Ministries
… who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Esther 4:14 (KJV)
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase “for such a time as this” and wondered where it came from. The saying is from the Biblical book of Esther, and is associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim. Esther 9:21 tells us this festival is to be observed yearly. Each year, we remember that God placed Hadassah (Esther) in place to save her people from destruction. She was willing to take the risk and follow what God laid on her heart to say and do. The book of Esther says she was born “for such a time as this”.
Last week, we celebrated Purim in our Messianic Synagogue. Purim is also called the holiday of joy and it is traditional to dress up, and be merry while remembering how the Jews of Persia narrowly escaped annihilation thanks to the bravery of Queen Esther.
This year, my husband, Rabbi Jem, dressed up as “the oldest rabbi of Israel” complete with a long, grey beard, and read the ten chapters of the book of Esther. The children in our congregation also dressed in costumes and thoroughly enjoyed making lots of noise while the book was read. It is traditional to "boo" when the villain’s name, Haman, is read, and to cheer loudly when the hero’s names, Esther and her uncle, Mordechai, are mentioned.
Like Esther, each year I am reminded that God wants use me, too, and that we are all born for a purpose - God’s purpose. Personally, this holiday inspires me to stand up and speak for God when He gives me the opportunity.
I had just such an opportunity within a few days after Purim, when I met a Jewish man at a local fundraiser. The young man related a story about a horrible wreck he’d recently survived. With tears in his eyes, he said in a cracking voice, “I don’t know why God saved me alive. Is it just to work day after day as a truck driver?”
God spoke very clearly to me at that moment: Gail, you are here tonight for such a time as this - to tell him that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah.
Trembling, I spoke softly, “I believe God saved you alive so that you and I could have this conversation right now. He wants me to tell you that Yeshua is the Messiah.”
“I just can’t believe a holy and mighty God could come to earth in human form”, he said sincerely.
“My husband, Rabbi Jem, escaped death miraculously like you, and he asked that same question of God: why didn’t I die? That burning question led him to search for God, and it led him to accept Yeshua as the Messiah.” As I spoke those last words, we were interrupted and the conversation with him ended.
God had me there at just the right time to answer his question. I pray for him, and I believe He will one day find the wonderful peace of knowing Yeshua as his Messiah. Like Esther, I know God used me in that man’s life “for such a time as this”.
Gail Golden is a ministry partner with and the publicist for Pocket Full of Change Ministries. For more information to schedule a speaker for an event go to www.pocketfullofchange.org or call Gail Golden at 904 316-5462.
© Pocket Full of Change Ministries
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