Articles
Serving God Where You Are
There are many people who want to serve God, but they simply don’t know how they can. Many times, because of things like age, lack of resources, lack of experience, etc., Christians may be tempted to think that there really isn’t much they can do. A study of the stories of Esther, Joseph, and Daniel proves that this just isn’t the case. All three of these young people were captives in a foreign land, yet because of their Godly attitudes accomplished great things for the cause of the Lord.
Esther was a young Jewish orphan living in Persian exile (Est. 2:7). Through the amazing providence of God, this young woman rose to the position of Queen in the largest empire in the world. Even being this high of a rank, however, did not ensure her safety. The wicked Haman tricked the king into signing an unchangeable decree that would have killed all of the Jews (Est. 3:8-15). Even though Esther was married to the King, law prevented her from approaching his throne. Esther’s uncle Mordecai encouraged her to talk to the king with these words “And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this?” Esther overcame her fear and approached the King because she realized she was put in her position for a reason. Nobody else had the same opportunity as her, so she took advantage of it and served God where she was.
Joseph was another young person that served God where he was. Sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, Joseph had every reason to become bitter and angry (Gen. 37:18-28). His situation only got worse when he was accused falsely of sexual misconduct by his master’s wife and thrown into prison (Gen. 39:6-23). In the depths of prison, however, he never forgot God. He lived in such a way that the jailer noticed the hand of the Lord was with him (Gen. 39:23). Eventually Joseph rose to the position of second in command of the entire nation of Egypt (Gen. 41:38-49). Whether Joseph was in slavery, in prison, or in charge of the entire kingdom, he took advantage of his situation and lived for the Lord. In whatever circumstances he found himself, he served God where he was.
Daniel was yet another young Jew who lived in captivity. Taken to Babylon at a young age, Daniel was forced to serve in the courts of the king (Dan. 1:1-7). Daniel took a stand for the Lord even far away from home. “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank…” (Dan. 1:8). It was because Daniel and his friends chose not to give in to the wicked world around them that they prospered and rose to power in the kingdom of their enemies. They took a stand and chose to serve God where they were.
The application for Christians should be obvious. Whether you are in a good situation or a bad situation does not matter: serve the Lord. You are the only person in the position where you are, no one else has the same opportunities and contacts to do your work. Never neglect serving God because you don’t know whether you have attained you position for such a time as this. Take a stand and serve God where you are and He will be with you and bless your efforts in all that you do.
