“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace.”
Hebrews 4:16 NIV
She stands outside the door. Her soft robe gently grazing the floor, hair gracefully flowing down her back. Her hand reaches to knock on the ornate wood-carved door in front of her. A moment of silence. The anticipation intensifying. Clammy hands and clenched teeth. Will he say “yes,” or will he say “no”? A “no” from the king means death. Is she ready for death?
No biological parents. Barely of marital age. No babies to leave behind as a remembrance. Is her life meant to be only a flicker in the night?
Unknowingly, she has spent a lifetime preparing for this moment. From birth, she was the chosen one. She is the bride meant to stand before him. She is the one to make the request. She is the one to stand in the gap.
A deep, booming voice comes from within, and both doors part like the Red Sea. Life or death? If she does not enter, she will die. If she enters, she may die . . . but she also may live. Is her request too big? Is her influence too small? Are her abilities adequate? Is she enough? Her mind prances from question to question:
Is she really the only one who can make this request?
Is she really the one meant to save the people?
Is it “for such a time as this”?
She doesn’t know what awaits. But she enters at his call. Her eyes meet his gaze. A capricious king. A ruler. A drunk. What will he say? What will he do? He gazes upon her beauty. Her scent mesmerizing. Life or death?
Her confidence rises. He has not turned his back or motioned for her to leave. His hand moves. The gold scepter appears, and he requests her to speak. She must not stumble or hesitate over her words. Life or death?
Her request is heard. An appeal for others. Thousands of lives saved.
“For such a time as this.” Esther 4:14
Like Esther, we stand outside the door wondering what he will do, or what he will say. Will he listen? Is he a God of life or of death? Unlike Esther, we are not saved, nor do we save others, because we knock on the door and walk in. We are saved because someone like Esther did. Another said, “I will stand in the gap. I will give up my life that they may have theirs.”
He emptied himself and became truly man.
He left his throne to bring others into his kingdom
He became a human who knew sorrow, fear, and stress.
A human who felt loss and death. A human who bore no sin.
A person of the Godhead, who knew love as it is meant to be known, died so that humanity may know it as well.
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence,
so that we may receive mercy and find grace.”
Hebrews 4:16 NIV
