You Were Born For Such a Time as This

If you have grown up in the church, or perhaps even in the Bible belt, you probably were regaled with stories about bible "heroes". You know, the flannel board retelling of all the greats like Daniel and Esther. If you happen to be part of the niche that was and is evangelical Christianity you probably attended a harvest party or two in your day dressed as these characters. If you missed it, in short, these were the people we wanted to be when we grew up. We wanted to be the greats like: Joseph, Moses, Daniel, Esther, and Ruth.

There is a song that has been popular for several years now that speaks to this. In fact, we played it at Taylor's memorial because it was one she often blasted through the house:) It's The Anthem by Jake Hamilton/ Jesus Culture. The lyrics state:

I can hear the footsteps of my King

I can hear His heartbeat beckoning

In my darkness He has set me free

And now I hear the Spirit calling me

He's calling

Wake up child

It's your time to shine

You were born for such a time as this

I can hear a holy rumbling

I've begun to preach another King

Loosing chains and breaking down the walls

I want to hear the Father when He calls

This is the anthem of our generation

Here we are God, shake our nation

All we need is Your love

You captivate me

I am royalty

I have destiny

I have been set free

I'm gonna shape history

Read more: Jesus Culture - The Anthem Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

While I wholly believe the lyrics to be true, I have been pondering what this actually means. What does it actually mean to have destiny, to shape history, to be born for "such a time as this". I think the thing I would say to my daughter, were she still here with me, and to my son is that it is all well and good to get pumped about doing great things. However, you need to really stop and consider the whole story behind amazing, awe inspiring people like Esther and Daniel. Esther was an illegal alien living with an Uncle because her entire immediate family was dead. She was an orphan living in a place where many people did not welcome her or "her kind". She risked being killed more than once if it was discovered she was Jewish not Persian and yet she ultimately had to choose to take that risk to safe her people. Yes its nice to think about Esther being the most beautiful, chosen,  a queen, savior of her people, etc. but the harsh reality was the life circumstances leading her to those moments were HARD. She lost everything: her home, her mother, her father. As someone who has lost a family member too soon, it is not easy. I can't imagine losing my whole immediate family. ANd then there is Daniel. Daniel too was a captive in a foreign land, a refugee if you will. It's neat to think about Daniel as having governmental favor, defeating the lions, etc,  

but 

what 

pain 

led 

him 

to 

those 

opportunities?

Everybody wants to do great things, but how many of us are willing to allow the horrible things in life be part of that journey? 

Even if you have been fortunate enough to be spared losing those you love, being displaced from your home, being imprisoned or pressured to be something you're not, even then is your life a reflection of your value? Are you living up to your worth? 

Psalm 4:2,3 speaks to this:

How long, O you sons of men,

Will you turn my glory to shame?

How long will you love worthlessness

And seek falsehood?

But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself, him who is godly.

You were created to bring glory to the creator. It's that simple. How is your life doing that? Have you allowed your circumstances or your choices to bring shame to what should be glory? Are you spending your time and energy on worthless things? The good news is if you read on in Psalms 4 we are given some pointers.

Vs. 4 Be angry, and do not sin.

Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.

vs. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness (right living).

And put your trust in the LORD.

When life go sideways, when people you love die, when you lose your place in the world, when everything just seems to go to... It's o.k. to be angry. The trick is being angry without trying to play god. Don't let your anger consume you, cause your thinking to become warped, trick you into acts of violence, or cause you to curse God or His creation. Accept that you are mad, that's it perfectly acceptable to be enraged, and then keep meditating on the truth found in scripture. You don't have to join a meditation circle or meditate on your bed. It just means be still in all the pain and know that He is there with you feeling every bit of it too. Get quiet and focus on the love He has for you. Trust me, it changes everything.

And when you go out in the land of the living, where everybody else seems magically untouched by the pain your carry, choose to live rightly. Don't try and numb the pain with substances. Don't stay so busy with the worthless things in an attempt to forget the pain. Don't do dumb stuff just because everybody else is doing. It's not always easy. That's why it's called a sacrifice. Choose to do right.

Finally, put your trust in God. Since the very beginning of the story we know as the Bible, the whole scheme of the enemy has been to shake our trust in God. They took the fruit in the garden not because they were curious or hungry but because they believed the lie that God was keeping something from them. The enemy made them lose trust in the Living God. That my friends, is what will keep you from Him now. You can't muster faith on your own. Instead keep the lines of communication open, let Him know when your trust feels wobbly, and meditate on the truth until your faith is restored.

Shining isn't easy. If it was, everyone would be a star!