"for such a time as this.."

For the past 3 weeks at Victory Christian Fellowship, the church that Michael and I attend with 2 PJM staffers here in Manila, the pastor has been preaching a series entitled “God and Government.” (As a political science major and Christian, you can imagine how stoked I was to see what stance this church would take, how Filipino world-view would impact the message, etc.) The series aimed to tackle three questions – who’s really in charge? why do we need civil government? and, how can i be involved?

Without giving you the entire run-down of the sermons (which was as fascinating as I had hoped, in case you were wondering :), I’ll just mention one of the things that’s really been stuck in my head. In the pastor’s discussion of the role of young people in this country, the timing of the upcoming election (May 10), the global economy and our position in history at large, he referenced Esther 4.

(Readers digest version of the context of this verse: Mordecai’s reply to Esther’s concern that if she goes unsummoned before the king to plead the case of the Jews, she will be risking her life; his reply refers to an Old Testament promise that even if Esther doesn’t step up, God has promised that a remnant of the Jewish people will always remain; but that God has placed her in the palace for this moment....)

Esther 4:14 “And who knows by that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”



A decent chunk of my time at PJM has been spent doing paperwork. The Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Health, both have stringent requirements that mean BOATloads of paperwork must be filed occasionally. Despite the fact that PJM has been licensed and operating for 20+ years now, we are currently working under a deadline to submit a substantial report to them by the end of the month. I’m still not entirely positive what it all is (I’m just trying to do what I’m told :) and/or what it’s all for, but it’s been a major stress for the staff that just requires some serious administrative leg-work.

Luckily, my time working for the BC government has lent me some experience in terms of bureaucratic hoop-jumping. So, almost 6 weeks later, the end of this paperwork project is almost in sight, and I’ve been a big part of it. And the jist of this verse feels appropriate – even if this is related to administration, not a royal position – that I have been placed here “for such a time as this,” a time when the ministry needed an extra boost to get over some bureaucratic hurdles in order to keep doing what it does best. And ultimately, that’s what I want to contribute to; regardless of how I contribute (behind the scenes, front lines etc.), I believe in what PJM is doing and I want to help them, to contribute to the great work that’s already going on.

N.