Such a Time as This

"Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died." Esther 2:7


As I've been reading the Old Testament, I've taken notice of how many times the Bible talks about the beauty of women. Abraham's wife Sarah was depicted as beautiful (Genesis 12:11, 14), Isaac's wife Rebekah was also 'beautiful' (Genesis 26:7), and Jacob's wife Rachel was described as "lovely in form, and beautiful" (Genesis 29:17).
 
As I did more research and I came to Esther, I thought of the importance of her looks. She was described above as "lovely in form and features" meaning that she obviously had a nice body to go along with her pretty face. Most of you know the story of Esther, but in case you need a quick review - when the Babylonian King of the time decided to look for a new wife to replace the one who dishonored him, a search was formed to find the most beautiful young virgins; after 12 months of beauty treatments (Esther 1:12) , these women were allowed to approach the King; and the King was most attracted to the Jewish Hadassah (Esther 1:17), who had become known as Esther. When the King's 'chief of staff' (my term, not the Bible's) Haman plotted to kill all the Jews, Mordecai, the girl's cousin and caretaker (see verse above), said to Esther "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" Esther saved her people and the day by using her position as Queen to convince the King (in a nutshell).
 
Now, I will preface this entry by saying that we as a society can get too caught up in looks. I also believe that beauty comes from the inside out. That said, God never once said there was anything wrong with being beautiful. Some of the first wives in the Bible were described as such. Asking God to make you beautiful both on the inside (your heart) and the outside (your looks) wouldn't provoke His wrath, I don't think. In fact, I think there are times that God can use our looks for His benefit (after all, He created us!!!).
 
Hadassah was lovely in form. She didn't have a problem with obesity or laziness, evidently. She was also lovely in features and had 12 months (that would translate to one year for us) of beauty treatments before seeing the King. Can we commit to a healthier lifestyle for 12 months? Can we prepare ourselves for meeting our King, the one true God? If we were going to meet someone very important, I bet we would do what we could to make ourselves presentable from brushing our hair to putting on some make-up and a nice, clean and attractive outfit. How much more should we prepare to see our God? We are, after all, the bride of Christ! Or, for that matter, what about our earthly husbands? There are times that I think "wow...he means so much to me and yet he's seeing me at my very worst." I think 12-months of beauty treatments seems like a lot when you see what it was Esther and the others were going through - yet I think losing weight doesn't happen overnight. I think a year to lose some serious pounds sounds like a good start. And who knows what our reward will be?
 
Could God use our looks for His glory? YES! The King was attracted to Esther, he took her as his wife, and God used the appointment to save His people... she looked her best for 'such a time as this.' I think there is something in society that allows more attractive people to have more influence. I think better-looking folks get better jobs. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it happens. God can use our obedience to be the best we can be to give us appointments that He can ultimately use.
 
The Lord gave us the "lovely features" - we're each a unique and beautiful person the way we were created. Now it's time for our beauty treatments. It's time for us to step up to the plate and try to be 'lovely in form.' I think it's time that we are the best we can be so that we can be used in a mighty and powerful way. And, when we are beautiful, it's not for our glory. All the praise and honor belong to God alone. He alone can transform us and use us - we are simply His vessels waiting to be used for His purposes. May we be His beautiful bride!
 
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You would take the above passage and bring it to life and say what You want revealed. God, we long to be beautiful like the wives of long ago. We desire to be 'lovely in form and features.' God, we don't want to ask for things that are wordly or selfish; but, we ask that you cleanse our heart, purify our mind and give us holy desires, that we would be set apart for Your glory. Lord, we want to be Your beautiful bride. We want to be used for such a time as this. Please take our lives over these next 12 months and transform us with your beauty treatments - inside and out. Please penetrate our lives with Your holy Word. May we be living sacrifices, beautiful, and used for Kingdom purposes in such a time as this. In Jesus' powerful and precious name, AMEN!