Rise Up

"People are tired.  I've counseled and I've talked with many people. The one thing I hear over and over again is that people are tired. The division, the emotion, the unknown - people are tired."  Pastor Ryan spoke one Sunday not long ago.

His words hit home. It wasn't just me.

Often I found myself trying to steal away in search of normal; the life we had pre-Covid.  It remains elusive.  The most bothersome is the haunting look in the eyes of others.  The worry...the fear...the lack of joy. 

I miss people's smiles.  Even on the worst day a stranger might smile and you, for a single moment, felt it might be all ok.  

We don't see smiles anymore.
People aren't ok.

Which leads me here.  An open Bible on my lap and more than a few words for God.  I sip my coffee and tell Him I really didn't envision my life to be like this.  I'm no stranger to difficulty, but this?  What is this God?  There is such division - how do we get back to normal God?  We can't even decide what normal is anymore.

God had no problem answering me.
He did so through the words of Mordecai.

Mordecai had raised his orphaned cousin Esther and she became Queen.  A law passed authorizing the killing of all the Jews.  Mordecai tells Esther she must approach the King to stop the killings from happening.  Esther reminds Mordecai  people don't approach the King, they must be summoned.  She hasn't been summoned and to approach the King could mean death to her.

Mordecai responds,"Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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 4:13b-14.

And there it was.  God answering all my questions.
"...And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

 
How can I believe God makes no mistakes and then question why I'm having to live in today's world?  How can I believe we are all made for a purpose and then question why my purpose is now?

God's answer stung a little today.
Maybe a lot.

We may not be all given the gift of leadership, but make no mistake Beloved, we are all called to lead.  As we follow Jesus, we are to lead others.

Even right now, when everything seems so dark and it's impossible to see, He is calling us to lead. And we must dust off our tired and rise.

Rise up.
Fix your eyes on the Light and follow Him.
He will direct your journey, and those who surround you.
Those around you - the ones you share life with - are the very ones you lead.
Rise up.

Rise up.
Do not be afraid.
When you are met with only fear in the eyes of others, fix your eyes on the One who abolishes fear. 
You will never find fear in His eyes.
Rise up.

Rise up.
Afraid of confrontation?  It may be the very thing you find yourself in.
Do you stumble in your words?  You may find a crowd listening to you.
You see, God does not discard your weaknesses.  He amplifies them.
Your weakness is the very thing that speaks loudest of His strength. 
Rise up.

Rise up.
Beloved, you are called to lead.  Even in the dark.
You may be tired, you may take rest.
You may not camp there.
Rise up.

Rise up.
The hands of the warrior may be tired; he still draws the sword.
The hands of royalty may shake from uncertainty; she still straightens the crown.
Beloved, you are called to be both.
God Himself goes before you.
Rise up.

In all this uncertainty, He is our certain. 
In all the uneasy, He is our steadfast.
We are His sons.
We are His daughters.
We are His warriors.
We are His royalty.

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?