Zach Johnson was not accustomed to such attention. He had been on the PGA Tour for only three years, and though he had a tournament victory under his belt, he had drawn little attention. But today was different. Today he had overcome great odds before an astonished crowd to beat the best players in the world. And there he stood before millions of television viewers with microphones thrust in his face. And at that moment, Zach Johnson, the newly crowned Masters Champion, chose not to talk about his victory. At that moment, Zach Johnson chose to praise his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And the world heard him. If Zach Johnson wondered why God chose him to win, the answer came as he spoke those words of praise. His victory was “for such a time as this.”

It reminded me of a young woman who lived many years ago. Her name was Esther and she had been chosen to be queen. In case you don’t remember, Esther was the winner of the first Miss Universe contest which was held by King Xerxes during the days of Israel’s exile in Persia. The contest was held to find a replacement for Queen Vashti who had been removed from her royal position for disobedience to the king. Esther won the contest concealing her Jewish ancestry from everyone. Then in time, Queen Esther found herself using the position she held to save the Jewish people from destruction. She had been made queen “for such a time as this.”

All of us find ourselves in bewildering situations that make us wonder what God is doing. Usually, those situations do not arise from a victory, but from trouble of some kind. It may be an accident, an illness, or a significant loss that brings our cry to God, “Why me?” But in God’s plan, it’s all preparation for a special time that is yet to come.

Zach Johnson was crowned champion of a major golf event and Esther was crowned queen of a powerful nation. Both were bewildered by what had happened. But in God’s plan it was all just preparation—preparation “for such a time as this.”

So, when those bewildering times come in our lives, and we wonder, “Why me?” just remember that Zach and Esther found themselves bewildered too. And also be sure of this. God works all things for good.[1] Our gains and our losses, our victories and our defeats, our joys and our sorrows prepare us for a time that is yet to come.

And when that day comes we will know it was “for such a time as this.”

“You are the light of the world.”

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