And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14
Having just come from a pastor’s meeting that addressed ministry needs in war-torn Ukraine, there are certain details in my mind that I wanted to share with you as soon as possible. No doubt there are Christians around the world who are suffering in various ways beyond our ability to comprehend, though we are taught to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). One such Ukrainian voiced it this way, “Are we valuable people to God?” (because of what we are going through). The more basic question to be addressed is, “Why did God make me?”
I think of Paul’s words in Acts 17:26-27, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” To put this on an individual level: God intentionally made every one of us in the places where He put us so that we may find Him and serve Him with our lives! We don’t need to question the kind of family, city, country, or environment we are currently in; God can use us for His glory precisely where He put us! He has given every believer in Christ the Holy Spirit, and along with that, spiritual gifts to be utilized for the growth of God’s Kingdom and His Church (Ephesians 4:11-16). Rather than running from the struggle or being silent, Queen Esther was encouraged to consider that God had uniquely placed her there for His serve, glory, and possibly even salvation!
Would not the same truths be said of us? If we were to remain silent, perhaps salvation would come from elsewhere, but then would be said of us in our cowardice? Paul credits Epaphroditus in Ephesians 2 & 4 as a man who risked his life for Paul, going back into the realm of danger for the sake of the Gospel. This same courageous act is being repeated daily by men such as the example I share below:
There was a Ukrainian pastor whose church was close to the Russian border. When Russia invaded, it was not long before his town was overrun, and since the Russians saw non-Orthodox churches as being Western “sympathizers”, Pastor Alexander was tortured for about 4 weeks. When they could get no valuable information out of him, they left Alexander for dead in the back alley, and was thought to be dead. When his wife identified him while barely alive, believers smuggled him into a Russian church, then into Poland, and rather than live in the US when he was finally recovered, Alexander went back into Ukraine to be trained and serve as a volunteer chaplain, who also served to train up hundreds more! They called him “Unbroken Alexander”, though certainly he still struggles from the weeks of torture. Groups of men like these who went back to the war front were also called “God’s Gamblers”!
The Suffering Church is the Serving Church! We are not truly “gambling” in the sense that our salvation in Christ is fully protected and preserved by God who “carries it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6). Believers have a “blessed assurance” that God perfectly sees, knows and will vindicate every one of His children with rewards that go beyond all comprehension! We are never “gambling” in our obedience towards God in the ultimate sense, though “counting the cost” in following Jesus means being willing to risk our own lives for something even better. We have something of eternal value to share with the world, and this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
Remember, God “Chose You” (Acts 17:26-27, Esther 4:14) to accomplish something “beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Are you willing to take some “risks” with me in living that out? What would that look like? Would you be willing to “step out onto the water” (like Peter in Matthew 14:27-29) May God grant us the faith to make those steps of faith, wherever they may be!