🏳️‍🌈✝️ For Such a Time as This

Written by The Apostolic Faith Church

06/05/2018

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If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? – James 2:15-16

While babysitting two of my granddaughters, I put them down for the night in their bunk beds and laid down beside the youngest in the bottom bunk. I said prayers with them but could soon hear the four-year-old in the top bunk still praying fervently: “O Lord, I need a packpack. Lord, You know I want a packpack. Lord, I really need a packpack.”

Later when her parents returned, I told her mother about the sweet prayer. The next day we went into town and “happened” upon a sidewalk sale, and there hanging from the clearance rack was a small pink backpack. The Lord used us to answer her prayer.

Another time, one of my unsaved children had a serious need. In my own mind, I thought God was allowing that crisis for her own good; I had decided that if she became desperate enough, she would pray and be saved. She did pray for help, and the next time I prayed, the Lord plainly showed me I was to be that instrument of answered prayer. I was to show my love and support and supply that need, which I did. 

We can pray for others, but sometimes God desires us to do more than pray. In the Bible, we read a good example of this in the account of Queen Esther. Mordecai informed her of the danger of the Jews being annihilated by wicked Haman. He implored her to go before the king and intercede at the risk of her own life. Prayer is good, but Esther was in a unique position to take action that would help the Jews. Mordecai asked, “And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” God had given Esther that opportunity for a reason—so she could help her people. And she did. 

God uses us as tools to show His love, by bringing to our attention the needs of others. When we see a need in someone else’s life, it could be that God is calling us “for such a time as this.” We want to be ready and watching for the opportunities He gives us.