For Such a Time as This

“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.”

Esther 4:12


You might not be feeling it yet but the “great recession” technically ended back in June 2009. While it is true that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been growing since that time, unfortunately this growth has been at a slowing rate. The second quarter growth rate was a measly +1.6%. On the jobs front, initial claims for state unemployment benefits were up 12,000 last week to 465,000. In total, 9.6% of Americans are now out of work. Over half of the individual states in the U.S. had higher unemployment in August ’10 compared to the month earlier. An astounding 4.49 million Americans are currently receiving unemployment benefits.[1]

The good news is that this isn’t Obama’s economy or Bush’s economy…it is God’s economy. He is in control. One positive outcome of our current economic situation is that there appears to be a spiritual awakening taking place in the good ole USA. Unemployed people are out looking for jobs as aggressively as ever. Small business owners are putting in the extra effort to get their businesses growing again. Corporate leaders are trying to figure out how to get more done with less. All of this is the same as in the past. But the difference this time is that the extended economic downturn has humbled many people and caused us to realize once again that God is in control.

Esther was an orphan Jewish girl who was adopted by her cousin. King Xerxes was a powerful ruler over 127 provinces and, not knowing she was a Jew, chose the beautiful Esther to be his Queen. Haman, a senior leader in the kingdom, tricked the King into ordering the complete annihilation of the Jewish people on a single day. But God was in control. He had prepared and placed Esther in her position “for such a time as this”. The only people that were annihilated were Haman and his wicked family.

I truly believe that God is preparing us now for the wonderful blessings that he has planned for us in the future. While we are all out working hard to do our part to bolster the economic GDP let’s make sure that we also stay focused on the spiritual GDP (God’s Divine Purpose for our life) and be prepared “for such a time as this”.
[1] FoxBusiness.com 9/23/2010