For Such a Time as This: Faithful Courage, Willing Hearts

There are seasons when faith does not look dramatic. It looks like staying present when everything in you wants to disappear. It looks like standing when silence feels safer. It looks like Esther.

Esther did not wake up ready to be brave. She woke up afraid and aware of the risk. She knew speaking could cost her everything. Yet silence would cost even more. Mordecai named the tension she was already carrying when he said, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Not certainty. Not safety. Just calling.

What steadies me about Esther is that she does not confuse fear with disobedience. She does not rush ahead, but she also does not hide behind waiting. She pauses to pray, to fast, to gather her strength. Then she moves. “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” (Esther 4:16). That is not recklessness. That is resolved obedience.

Sometimes we tell ourselves we are waiting on God, when what we are really doing is waiting to feel ready. Esther shows us that readiness is not a feeling. It is a decision. Courage often arrives after obedience, not before it.

There are moments when God does not ask for confidence. He asks for willingness. He asks us to step forward without guarantees, trusting that obedience itself is the protection. Esther did not control the outcome. She controlled her response.

That kind of faith speaks quietly. It does not announce itself. It simply shows up and does what is required.

Today I am not asking for boldness that feels impressive. I am asking for courage that feels faithful. The courage to speak when silence would be easier. The courage to act when waiting would feel safer. The courage to trust that God has already placed me where I am for a reason.

For such a time as this does not mean everything will be clear. It means everything is purposeful.

Reflection & Journaling

• Where am I tempted to stay silent to avoid risk?

• What responsibility has God already placed in my hands?

• Where have I been waiting to feel ready instead of choosing obedience?

• What would quiet courage look like in this season?

Quiet Prayer

God, help me recognize the moments You are calling me forward. Give me courage that is rooted in trust, not fear. Teach me to act faithfully even when outcomes are uncertain. If You have placed me here for such a time as this, help me respond with a willing heart and steady obedience. Amen.