From the Journal of: For Such A Time As This / w4d4, p131
The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;
Proverbs 16:13
he loves those who speak honestly.
What does it mean to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)?
Read: Esther 5:12-14 and SOAP: Proverbs 14:22
Do not those who devise evil go astray? But those who plan good exhibit faithful covenant love.
Proverbs 14:22
Have you ever played the role of Haman? While I hate to admit it, I can look back on my life and see moments, if not seasons of ‘Haman’ in me. Perhaps you know the feeling as well … You know what you want in life, so you pursue it … There’s nothing wrong with that, but then you plan and plot and dwell on it. You are so focused on the end result that little else matters, and you chase after it at all costs. You find yourself unhappy with everyone and everything around you, and continue to plot and plan, determined to make your desire/dream a reality. Yet all the while, you are leading yourself further and further away from it.
Friends, one thing is clear – we cannot chase God’s way if our eyes are on ourselves and our desires, and/or the world around us.
Consider this, Haman already had a ranking position and the trust of the king, as well as the added glory of the people bowing to him. However, he was so angered by the fact that Mordecai would not bow to him … and so intent on destroying the Jews that he lost his way and fell prey to his own evil plans.
May God help us to keep our eyes on Him and always move toward what is good and right, that we might experience and exhibit His faithful covenant love. – Amen
Be sure and follow the link below for today’s wonderful post from Love God Greatly.
https://lovegodgreatly.com/for-such-a-time-as-this/desire-significance
Borrowed from the Journal of For Such A Time As This / w4d1
Read: Esther: 5:1-5 and SOAP: Psalm 34:7
from the study, For Such A Time As This / w4d1
by Love God Greatly | May 4, 2025 | 0 comments
I wonder what Esther was feeling as she watched the sunrise on that third day.
“It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace…”
– Esther 5:1
This was the day that Esther would either end up a hero or end up dead. If I were in Esther’s place, I’m pretty sure I would have been tempted to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and desperately pray that God would find some other woman and some other way to save His people. I would ask:
Why me?
Why here?
Why now?
These are questions we often ask God when He calls us to be brave in less-than-ideal situations. Oh, we’re bold in the preparation, but when is it time to take that next step we can easily slink back in fear. We think, “Isn’t there an easier way, Father? Surely there’s someone else who’s more qualified… more available… more – I don’t know – “built” to handle these kinds of things?”
But Esther saved the doubt and the drama and instead responded with: …
Based on w3d5 of For Such a Time As This, by Love God Greatly, p109
I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye.
Psalm 32:8
Esther’s story is full of drama, and for those unfamiliar with the story, there is undoubtedly intrigue. The Jews are facing annihilation by edict of the king. Mordecai has sent word for Esther to talk to the king about what is about to happen and why. Esther has responded with the reminder that she cannot do that because entering the king’s presence without invitation can end in death, and most recently, Mordecai has lovingly and necessarily admonished Esther with the reminder that “she may very well have achieved royal status for such a time as this.” Today, we read Esther’s reply, a beautiful and bold statement of her faith. May we be so bold with our faith.
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast on my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. If I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:15-16
based on w3d4 of the LGG Study, For Such A Time As This / p105
If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14
I’ve said it before, but this is one of those appropriate times to repeat myself – lol. Because I grew up in a Christian home and was in church all of my life, Esther’s story is more than familiar to me. So, it’s easy for me to assume that everyone has heard of Queen Esther and her story, and undoubtedly the words: “For such a time as this.” But the first time I taught this book to a group of women, at least three out of the six were unfamiliar with the story. Since then, I have always been careful not to make that assumption when I write or teach. Whether this study is the first time you’ve heard these words or you’ve heard and spoken them many times, I pray they are imprinted on your heart and mind. I pray you will be encouraged by them. I pray they will be used as inspiration to follow where God leads or perhaps to encourage others along your path. As they were for Esther, they can be for you, words that change not only your life but the lives of countless others.
Esther had replied to Mordecai’s plea that she talk to the King and make known the situation and plead for the lives of her people. She knew the rules and the danger of approaching the King without an invitation. So she sent Mordecai a reply with her concern/reason for not going. I love that Esther had a Mordecai in her life – who spoke truth into her life
based on w3d3 of For Such A Time As This, by Love God Greatly, p101
Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king;
Proverbs 20:28
his throne is made secure through love.
Consider this question as you read today’s journal entry: When the ways or call of God on your life come with “high stakes,” what do you do?
I’ve shared today’s LGG Journal page … but what I encourage you to read is their blog post for this day. It’s truly one of the best I’ve ever read from them. Please use the link below, as we are a week behind their schedule. – Friends, if you are short on time, scroll past the devotion and read the blog post – you won’t want to miss it.
Corrie and Esther’s stories should encourage our unsteady hearts to not give way to fear but to trust that God’s faithful love will serve as our sure foundation. Earthly authority may not give an audience to our petitions, but as God’s royal daughters we always have total access to the loving ear of God Almighty. You and I can confidently approach His throne of grace today and find the mercy and help we desperately need for whatever situation we are facing.
LoveGodGreatly.com/w3d3blogpost – click the button below for the full post
Based on w3d2 of LGG’s For Such A Time As This
The sacrifice God desires is a humble spirit — O God, a humble and repentant heart you will not reject.
Psalm 51:17
Based on w3d1 of LGG’s For Such A Time As This
“Like a bad tooth or a foot out of joint, so is confidence in an unfaithful person at the time of trouble.” Proverbs 25:19
Friends, I am having ongoing problems with my eye and am trying to limit my screen time. Unfortunately, since my job requires a good deal of screen time, blogging and studying must be curtailed for at least another week. Meanwhile, I will be posting the journal entries here along with the reading for the day, as well as links for more insight. – I hope you’ll stick with me for the journey and keep my eye situation in your prayers.
For more insight visit: https://lovegodgreatly.com/for-such-a-time-as-this/signet-ring/
Based on the LGG Study, For Such A Time As This, w2d5
All day long you plot destruction.
Psalm 52:2
Your tongue cuts like a sharp razor;
you’re an expert at telling lies.
Due to an ongoing problem with a recent injury to my eye, I am having to limit my time on the computer. Thankfully, today’s Love God Greatly journal entry is absolutely fabulous. It is insightful into what’s happening in the story of Esther and Mordecai, and it is filled with wise instruction for us today. I’m reminded again of the children’s song from the days of my childhood that was used to train children to be careful with what they saw, heard, said, did with their hands, or went with their feet – always circling around to the the final line of each chorus: “… there’s a Father up above and He’s looking down in love … oh be careful little ‘mouth what you speak.” If you’ve never struggled with what you say or using your words to manipulate others, then this may not register with you as it has with me, but something tells me every reader can benefit from the teaching of this passage and journal entry. May it be a rich blessing – and a rich lesson both for how we speak and who we listen to.
based on the LGG Study, For Such A Time As This, w2d4
Come, let us bow down and worship.
Psalm 95:6
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Creator.
This first portion of this Psalm is a reminder of who God is and what He has done but also who we, as God’s people, are in connection to Him. It is equally a beautiful invitation to not only consider who He is but to respond to Him in worship. The psalmist calls the people of God not necessarily to a particular physical posture but foremost to a posture of the mind and heart. For surely if God’s people recall that He has protected and delivered them, if they remember His greatness – His superiority to all other gods, and the fact that the earth and the seas are His – surely then – they will be moved to worship Him with every part of their being.
Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord.
Psalm 95:1-7a
Let us shout out praises to our Protector who delivers us.
2 Let us enter his presence with thanksgiving.
Let us shout out to him in celebration.
3 For the Lord is a great God,
a great king who is superior to all gods.
4 The depths of the earth are in his hand,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down and worship.
Let us kneel before the Lord, our Creator.
7 For he is our God;
we are the people of his pasture,
the sheep he owns.
Today, if only you would obey him.
In today’s journey through Esther, we find Mordecai still among the servants in the king’s gates. This position has proven helpful thus far, but now he finds himself in a place where he is called to bow down and pay homage (a show of great respect and honor) to Haman, the king’s highest official. I am always delighted to read that Mordecai not only refused to bow or pay homage, but he also let it be known to the other servants of the king that he was a Jew, which was the reason he would not bow. While his revelation of his lineage stood in contrast to his instructions that Esther stay silent about hers, there was a time and purpose for both, which, as we will see in the story, God uses and honors both.
Friends, living in the twenty-first century, we may not find ourselves sitting in a king’s gates or living with rulers who make us bow down to them or “pay homage.” However, I think we would be careless to miss the things and/or people who, in many ways, whether by coercion or following the cultural norms we do often “bow down to” or give more homage to than we do our God. Like Mordecai, as children of the one true living God, we are neither to worship nor bow down to any other (man or god). In light of the warning/reminder found in Psalm 95:7b-11, may we be careful and faithful to “bow down” (whether physically or in our attitude) and worship only before the Lord, our Creator. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep He owns. Today, let us commit to living obediently with hearts and attitudes of honor and worship before Him.
Father, there is no one like You, no other god, and no other man who compares to You. You are the true and living God who has loved us with an unfathomable love. You have lavished that love on us. We were prisoners on death row, and You offered us freedom through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ. You have washed us white as snow and filled us with Your Spirit, empowering us to live and love like Jesus and to know You as a child knows his/her father. I am mesmerized by You and truly stand with hands raised and head bowed in awe of You. – Thank You for the example of Mordecai and for the reminder to bend our knees to no one and nothing else besides You. In the name of Jesus – for Your eternal glory, Amen!
You are Lord of creation
We Bow Down
And Lord of my life
Lord of the land and the sea
You were Lord of the heavens
Before there was time
Lord of all lords You will be
… We bow down
And we worship You Lord
We bow down
And we worship You Lord
We bow down
And we worship You Lord
Lord of all Lords You will be
The second portion of Psalm 95:6 is in part an invitation to remember what happens when we turn away from God; yet it is also a warning of sorts. The people had seen what God could do and would do on their behalf, and yet they challenged His authority and tried His patience with their disobedience and refusal to return to Him. They chose other gods and the ways of the people around them, and roused God’s anger against them. May we remember this warning from the Psalmist: not to be stubborn but obedient. May we not challenge His authority and try His patience, but remember the work of His hands and heart for His people. May we not disgust Him as that generation did, but instead bring Him honor by obeying His commands. Let us be careful not to rouse His anger but faithfully press on to the high calling and one day dwell with Him forever.
Today, if only you would obey him.
Psalm 95:7b-11
8 He says, “Do not be stubborn like they were at Meribah,
like they were that day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors challenged my authority,
and tried my patience, even though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I was continually disgusted with that generation,
and I said, ‘These people desire to go astray;
they do not obey my commands.’
11 So I made a vow in my anger,
‘They will never enter into the resting place I had set aside for them.’”
Me From the Inside Out 