For Such a Time as This

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. ~ Psalm 139:16 Esther, a beautiful, young Jewish girl living in Babylon during the time of captivity, was orphaned and then taken in by her uncle Mordecai.  King Xerxes was king at that time and had just banished Queen Vashti from his kingdom.  To replace her, many young virgin women were brought into the king’s harem where they underwent a year of ritual cleansing and preparation for the king.  It was customary for a concubine to share a bed with the king only once, unless he found pleasure in her.  When it was Esther’s turn with King Xerxes, she found great favor with him, so much so that he made her his queen. Per Mordecai’s instructions, she had kept her