For Such a Time as This—Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, August 3, 2025

For Such a Time as This ReCreate Church | Michael Shockley | August 3, 2025

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EPISODE SUMMARY

Do you ever feel restless in your current situation, wishing you were somewhere else doing something more meaningful? Through the pivotal story of Esther chapter 4, Michael Shockley challenges us to see that God works where we are, not where we wish we were. From kindergarten naptime rebellion to marriage "pat-pat" signals, discover how our restlessness often blinds us to the holy ground beneath our feet. Learn why Esther's palace position wasn't about comfort but about purpose, and how Mordecai's grief outside the gates became a catalyst for rescue. When genocide threatened God's people, it took ordinary people in their ordinary circumstances to become heroes of redemptive history.

Core Message: God works where we are, not where we wish we were.

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KEY TOPICS COVERED The Restless Heart

- The struggle to believe our current place is holy ground

- How God works in waiting rooms, long meetings, and painful seasons

Mordecai's Public Mourning

- Tearing clothes, wearing sackcloth, and sitting in ashes

- Jewish customs of grief and distress in ancient culture

- The genocide decree and its threat to all Jewish people

- Mourning as an honest response to evil, not faithlessness

- Making a public declaration that injustice is not right

Esther's Sheltered Palace Life

- Living in comfort while being out of touch with harsh reality

- How good circumstances can reduce compassion for struggling people

- The palace as a "fancy prison" with limited freedom

- Having access and influence while feeling powerless

- The unique connections and contacts we all possess

The Law of Approaching the King

- Death penalty for uninvited visits to the king

- The golden scepter as the only exception to execution

- Esther's month-long separation from the king

- Being in God's will while still feeling scared and inadequate

- How feelings of inadequacy don't disqualify us from making a difference

Mordecai's Powerful Challenge

- "Do not think you will escape in the king's palace"

- God's deliverance will come from somewhere, but what about your role?

- The pivotal question: "Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

- God's preference to work through people rather than around them

- The closest the text comes to acknowledging God's hand

Esther's Decision and Surrender

- "Go, gather all the Jews and fast for me"

- "I will go to the king, which is against the law"

- "If I perish, I perish" - surrender, not fatalism

- The community response of fasting and implied prayer

- Being in a place of privilege that's actually a place of peril

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MEMORABLE QUOTES

"Somewhere deep in my soul, I have a hard time believing that right here — this conversation, this place, this moment, this season of life — is where I'm supposed to be."

"God works where we are, not where we wish we were."

"Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

"If I perish, I perish!"

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BIBLICAL FOUNDATION

- Primary Text: Esther 4:13-16

- Key Verse: "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

- Supporting Context: The genocide decree and threat to Jewish people

- Theme: Divine purpose in human circumstances and positioning

- Connection: Esther's courage preserving the lineage that led to Jesus

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PRACTICAL APPLICATION If You Feel Restless in Your Current Situation:

- Stop giving God the "pat-pat" and trust His timing for your season

- Recognize that right here, right now might be holy ground

- Look for God's purpose in your present circumstances rather than future dreams

- Remember that God works in ordinary places, not just extraordinary ones

If You Feel Powerless to Make a Difference:

- Consider your unique access and connections - you have influence you might not see

- Remember that you may be exactly the right person for someone's rescue

- Use whatever platform you have, even if it seems small

- Trust that your voice and actions matter more than you realize

If You're in a Place of Comfort:

- Don't let privilege blind you to the needs around you

- Use your access and resources to help those who are struggling

- Remember that comfort can be a "fancy prison" if it keeps you from purpose

- Stay connected to the harsh realities others face

If You Feel Scared or Inadequate:

- Know that you can be right where God wants you and still feel afraid

- Understand that feelings of inadequacy don't disqualify you from making a difference

- Trust that if the task i