A Teacher's Bible Study: Be More Like Mordecai

“Girl, God wants to use you.  But He doesn’t need you to fulfill His mission.  Let Him use you or it’ll happen without you.” 

First Things First:  First, let's read the entire book of Esther.  (Yes, you can do it.  Yes, it is fairly short.)  Pray for God to show you His Truths as you read about Esther and Mordecai.  Ask Him to show you how you can be someone's God-appointed Mordecai today.

     

Going Deeper:
 “Girl, God wants to use you.  But He doesn’t need you to fulfill His mission.  Let Him use you or it’ll happen without you.”  Ahhh, the story of Esther.  The beauty, the fairy taleish way her story seems to flow speaks to every woman’s inner love of all things princess. (Sorry if you are a guy teacher reading this Bible study right now, but wait—you are mentioned next!)  Men tend to love the plotline of Haman---the poetic justice of the very gallows that he built for Mordecai being used against him.

      
As we read this story as adults, it is easy to fixate on Esther’s deeds.  However, we can miss out on the book’s most overlooked lesson---are you being a Mordecai for someone else?  Mordecai is the great protagonist in this story.  He first instructs Esther to keep her heritage a secret and then in a beautifully-impassioned speech says, “If you remain silent at this time, deliverance will come…do you not think that you’ve come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

      
Translation:  “Girl, God wants to use you.  But He doesn’t need you to fulfill his mission.  Let Him use you or it’ll happen without you.”

       
WOW, what power we can take from those words!  As teachers of His children, God wants to use us.  He wants us to be the very leaders who change a child’s life.  The very person who speaks love, hope, and wisdom into a child’s life who desperately needs it.

       
But God doesn’t NEED us.  
He will make it happen for that child with or without us.  
Who are you supposed to be their Mordecai?!
Pray for wisdom that you will know which child needs encouragement, which child needs direction, which child needs love that as Mordecai, only you can give to them.

       
You are SO MUCH MORE than "just a schoolteacher."  You are someone’s God-appointed Mordecai.  God could have placed your homeroom students in any homeroom, but he chose YOURS.  There is something about YOU that they need. They were placed in your room for this year for "such a time as this."  
      
 If I wanted to summarize Mordecai's speech to Esther in "teacher format,"  I would say:  "If you stay quiet, God WILL give that child what he needs.  With or without you!  But do you not think that they were placed in your homeroom for such a time as this?!"  They are in YOUR ROOM, during THIS YEAR, at THIS SPECIFIC TIME for a godly PURPOSE!  Nothing with God happens by accident.  The computer didn't randomly assign them to your roll.  God could have chosen any homeroom for His beloved child, but He chose YOURS.  There is something about YOU that this child needs!  God knows everything about you (Psalm 138) so He knows exactly what qualities within you are needed for this specific child.  

Trust that He will lead you to the child that needs you as his/her Mordecai.  Don’t miss that opportunity today.  God will bring that child whatever they need, with or without you.  Don’t miss out on being their godly Mordecai influence!  
     
"Do you not think that this child was placed in your homeroom FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?"

Classroom Connections and Life Applications:

1.  Pray for God to show you who needs a Mordecai.  Who has He led you to?

2.  How can you speak truth into this child's life this week?

3.  Now think about who is your Mordecai.  Who speaks truth into your life?  We all need BOTH.  We need our own Mordecai and we need to be someone's Mordecai.  If you don't have a godly mentor in your life, pray for God to show you who in your church/school/community is meant to be your Mordecai.  If you have a Mordecai, have you thanked him lately?  Write your Mordecai a letter thanking him for the godly influence he has had on you. 



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