Play Your Bell

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14

To me, to think we are in a certain situation by accident is the worst possible thought. To think we are in a certain situation by God’s design is the best possible thought. The latter is what Queen Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, had in mind in this famous quote. 

At one time I traveled with a men’s singing group. We also played handbells as part of our concerts. The director used to use the handbells as an object lesson. He pointed out that if a bell ringer fails to play his bells at the proper moment, no one else could do it for him/her. God had given us each ”bells” in life to ring, and it was our responsibility to ring them on time.

That makes me feel a little uncomfortable, because I don’t want God to rely on unreliable me to accomplish His plan. What if I don’t answer the bell (no pun intended)? What is interesting in the Mordecai quote is that he does say that the Jews would be delivered, but without Esther’s part in it. God’s plan wasn’t going to be stopped by a failure to be courageous, but she would miss out on the action.

How detailed are His designs? Are the “big” situations, decisions, etc. officially part of God’s plan, God’s call, while the rest of life is a series of coincidences or accidents, or are they all infused with intentionality on God’s part? How many times has He worked around me because I didn’t act on the situation presented me? How about you? I hope for both of us, the number of times is small, and will stay that way.

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Mandisa: "Born For This (ESTHER)" - Official Lyric Video