Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/75

Contributor - Joan Drost

Title - For Such A Time As This

Topic - Women

Excerpts from a devotional message on Esther given at the Fall Conference at Camp Shalom, Ontario, October 8

"And who knows whether you have not come into the kingdom for such a time as this?" And what time is it? It's the International Year for Women for one. It is the era of the Women's Movement, of Liberated Woman, of Total Woman, and to you, Oh, Christian woman, it is the time of your life for God has, called you to His purpose!

Let's look at Esther! She, through a sense of duty and discipline found her destiny. She, under the Lord's Hand, saved her people from destruction and in that nation our Savior was born. God had protected His people throughout the centuries for the purpose of blessing the whole world with a Savior and, Esther had a part in it!

Esther's Hebrew name is Hadassah which means star. The 'Women's Zionist organization of the United States is called Hadassah and small wonder for Hadassah was the star of the harem -and she is a star in history proclaimed by Jew and Christian. Oh, how we should challenge our young girls from the cradle onward to be Esthers, to be stars, not content with the harem but to soar to the heavens in the King's purpose!

The stars of the world surround us - Cher of TV; Patty Hearst, the star of the kidnap game, Lynette Fromm, the girl who became a star by almost killing the president of the United States. There are political stars and even religious stars. The liberated woman has come into her own and her own has not made her free. She seeks her freedom in self fulfillment and becomes a slave to I. I want, I know I will. Nothing will stop me, It's my life.

Contrast that outlook with that of Esther who saw her duty not in self fulfillment but in carrying out a greater plan from a Greater Source than herself. Throughout our 100 years of Reformed Church women's work we have had real Esthers, authentic stars, who, saved by grace, sought to fulfill not their own pleasures and dreams but His will and purpose. Think of Mrs. Thomas Doremus sometimes called "Mother of Missions", Dr. Ida Scudder of India, and we can continue down through the years and discover women on the home front and on the mission fields who have been "STARS".

It has been said that there is no inspiration like that of a belief that we are called to a great purpose. And isn't it true? A woman who has hold of God's purpose for her life is an exciting and interesting personality. There is no stopping her and we delight in seeing her going ahead in duty and discipline finding her destiny. Esthers of today, you stars of the Reformed Church, you were not created to be fallen stars, stars to be grounded, you were made to "rise and shine and give God glory" "for who knows whether you have not come into the kingdom for such a time as this?"

DARE TO DISCOVER YOUR DUTY

We get so busy discovering things that we want to do, we lose the delight and we miss the mark in finding out what Christ wants of us. It's not easy to find His purpose and sometimes He takes us right out of orbit and sets us in another place. Sometimes He says, "No" and sometimes He says, "Go". Sometimes He says, "Not this way, but that way". Sometimes He dashes our plans to pieces but whatever way He points, Proverbs says, "When thou goest the way shall be oppened up before thee step by step."

DARE TO DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO OBEDIENCE

So that He can carry out His work through you and not the work we want to do for Him. I wonder how many splendid ideas sent by God have nestled in our breasts, beat upon our hearts, and pressed upon our minds, and because we did not dare to discipline ourselves unto obedience He could not work out His purpose through us AND WE MISSED THE JOY!

DARE TO ACCEPT YOUR DESTINY

When we allow Him to work through us our unique self emerges and our struggle to BE SOMEONE is over! We find our destiny in Him.

Think of 25 years ago when you were coming to Canada, many of you wondering what your destiny would be in a new land. How many of you have testified that in coming to Canada you found Christ as you never could in Holland. Some will even go so far as to say "We had to come - it was His purpose for us to find new life in Christ."

Sometimes the journey to our destiny is uncomfortable, dangerous, perhaps it will cause physical suffering or loss of friends. It might even cost us our life, but our Lord said, "Not my will but Thine" and can we say less? Esther had to say in holy abandon, ,If I perish, I perish" and so it is with us. It is better to die in His will than to live in self will.

In the world there are stars all around us demanding us to look at them but their stardom is short-lived and their glow becomes duller and duller until before long they fade out of sight and are forgotten. So many of the Lord's heroines found as did Esther that when they obeyed ;duty and discipline their destiny; was far greater and beautiful than they could have dared hope and the sparkle of their stardom lives on and on.

DUTY, DISCIPLINE, DESTINY!

Dare to accept these three and rise as stars for. Oh, Reformed Church Women, "Who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

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