Esther 4: Mordecai challenges Esther to use her position to save her people.
I checked rsc.byu.edu and josephsmithpapers.org first. While BYU Studies offered relevant collective resources, the BYU Speeches address by Barbara B. Smith titled "For Such a Time as This" provided a more focused and directly applicable scholarly source for today's reading in Esther 4.
In her address "For Such a Time as This," Barbara B. Smith discusses how Esther's story exemplifies individuals being prepared for divine purposes throughout their lives, even if they don't recognize it at the time. Sister Smith emphasizes that Esther's courage to approach the king, risking her own life, revealed an existing inner strength and devotion rather than creating it. She encourages listeners to see their own lives as continuous preparation for the Lord's work, drawing parallels to Esther's readiness to be an instrument in God's hands to save her people.
Source: Barbara B. Smith, "For Such a Time as This," BYU Speeches, February 16, 1982, https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/barbara-b-smith/such-time/
How does Sister Smith's perspective—that Esther's entire life was a preparation for her crucial role—deepen your understanding of your own seemingly ordinary experiences and how they might be divinely orchestrated?
Considering Sister Smith's message that God guides those with a willing heart, what spiritual promptings might the Lord be inviting me to embrace and act upon today, even if they require personal sacrifice and faith, thereby fulfilling a divine purpose?
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