A Tool For Only One Job (Esther 4:14)

The microscopes I use for my dermatopathology practice are highly precise diagnostic instruments. Recently, the halogen light bulb burned out and I had to replace it. It had been nearly 10 years since I last did this so the protocol was unfamiliar to me. Through stumbling steps, I found a manual on the internet that explained the procedure for my microscope model. But the first step was vaguely worded-remove the cover for the light source. The only problem was how? The cover was held on by an unseen screw. As I pondered the situation, I remembered the salesperson showing me something about this microscope when he initially set it up for me.

“Now, do you see this tool?” He held up a slender piece of metal, about eight inches long. “This is the most important tool you will ever need. This tool only exists to open the cover of the light source. See!” He deftly maneuvered the tool into the small hole and loosened the unseen screw. In seconds, the cover lifted off, revealing the halogen bulb. “I am going to tape it on the body of your microscope so you will never lose it!”

Indeed, that tool was still taped to the side of my microscope nearly 10 years later. But through the years, I had nearly forgotten the reason why that tool was there...until now! It was a tool for only one job! While it seemed like a waste of material and effort, it certainly solved the problem I had with my microscope.

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

Esther 4:14 (ESV)

Queen Esther was reminded by her Uncle Mordecai that her actions over the new few hours may be the entire reason God enabled her to become Queen of Persia. Her entire existence may have been prepared for this one action, to save her fellow Jews from annihilation by the hands of the evil Haman.

God uses all believers to accomplish His purpose in this world. For some, serving may be on a grand scale as an evangelist or preacher, speaking and ministering to thousands of people at a time. For others, it may be for quieter purposes, at the bedside of a parent with cancer or comforting a child heartbroken by the loss of their parent. And perhaps for a very special individual, like Esther, their entire purpose is realized in an instant of time. Like the tool for my microscope, God may sometimes use a person, only once, for a very specialized task.

Praise God for His sovereign goodness!

Love and trust the Lord; seek His will in your life.