TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE?
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These are stressful days, as we see and hear eye witness accounts of atrocities on the other side of the world. Those poor people - how devastating to watch your world crumble before you. Could there be a war on American soil?? I’ve always felt safe in our amazing and awesome country, at least personally. I hate watching the news but feel I must. It’s hard to see people in such dire circumstances in real time, and know there is very little I can do about it. Not buying vodka doesn’t really cut it but I guess if a small thing is done by many, it could have a tiny impact. How about we don’t import any more vodka (or oil!) from Russia? But then, there are the Russian people to worry about as well. We can’t blame every Russian for a tyrannical leader, can we?
Edward read me an article that said “there has never been a time such as this.” My first reaction was, “Oh yes, there has.” World War II, for example. But this article was referring to Google maps giving real time information about Russian convoys in Ukraine and specifying what streets they were on and how many there were.* That is a shocking new addition to warfare. Or how about Zelenskyy using social media to speak to his people? Sounds like it has been very effective.
“For such a time as this” was certainly familiar to me but I couldn’t put my finger on where it was from. In trying to find the article for you, I googled “for such a time as this” and maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was. Up popped a page full of links to scripture. It actually comes from my favorite book of the Bible, Esther. Esther reads like a novel, all about the empowerment of women – or one woman, in this case, Esther. There’s tons of intrigue and cliff hanging moments of life or death situations. Kind of a Batman-style of wondering how this could possibly turn out OK.
Mordecai says these words to Esther, who became Queen after starting as one of the King’s concubines. Oh, and by the way, Esther happens to be Jewish, which she has successfully kept secret from the King.
“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?”
Another translation uses this wording: “Perhaps you were born for Such a Time as This.” Of course, this begs the question of what each of us was born for, in the big picture. Love and relationship are two things that pop into my mind. God wants us believers to spread the good news that He is ready and waiting to love you. We are supposed to be examples of that, so much so that people will want to “have” what we have – to have the joy and peace that only God can give. That can be a tall order. Sometimes, I don’t even want what I have! I feel sad or lonely or joyless. But God is patient. He is always there when we circle back.
As helpless as we feel when considering the horrific situation in Ukraine, we can certainly be praying for them. In the movie, “Don’t Look Up,” which got an Oscar nomination for best picture, something interesting happens two minutes before the end of the movie. The comet (which is supposed to represent climate change) is hurtling toward earth, and nothing and no one can stop it. The main characters have found their way back to family and are sitting at the dinner table getting ready to have a meal. The house begins to shake and doom is moments away. And what do they do? Pray. Most of those present don’t know how to pray but one person, a 20-something skater boy, volunteers by saying, “I got this,” and holding out his hands to make a circle around the table. In this liberal, Hollywood, treatise on how climate change is being ignored, this character so beautifully puts it like this:
“Dearest Father and Almighty Creator, We ask for Your grace tonight despite our pride, your forgiveness, despite our doubt. Most of All Lord, we ask for Your love, to soothe us through these dark times and may we face whatever is to come, in Your divine will, with courage and open hearts of acceptance. Amen”
Isn’t that a perfect prayer?! Yet still, my first reaction was: too little, too late. But then I remembered the awesome and mighty power of God. Prayer is not a small thing that “won’t make a difference.” God could totally protect us from climate change, war or anything else but we have to start by asking and believing.
*see nytimes.com, Maps: Tracking the Russian Invasion of Ukraine