Come Follow Me for Teens: "Thou Art Come…For Such a Time as This" (Esther)
“For Such a Time as This”
This week’s Come Follow Me lesson from the book of Esther teaches powerful truths about God’s divine design, the spiritual strength that comes through fasting, and the Savior’s ability to redeem the painful parts of our lives. Esther’s story is filled with events that may have appeared random at the time. She was orphaned and raised by Mordecai, brought into the king’s palace, and eventually chosen to become queen. Mordecai uncovered a plot against the king, but his loyal service was recorded and temporarily forgotten. Later, when Haman sought to destroy the Jews, each of these details came together at exactly the right time. The story reminds us that God sees the whole picture, is never surprised by the challenges we face, and can prepare His children to bless others long before they understand His purposes.
In this episode of Come Follow Me for Teens, we explore Mordecai’s unforgettable question to Esther: “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” This principle helps teens trust that God can work through their relationships, interests, opportunities, disappointments, and experiences to prepare them for important moments. We also study Esther’s request that the Jews fast for her before she approached the king. Fasting did not remove the danger, but it helped her place faith above fear, the spirit above the body, and God’s will above her own. Finally, we study how Haman’s plan was completely reversed and “turned to the contrary.” Esther’s story teaches teens that God does not cause every painful or evil experience, but through Jesus Christ, pain does not have to be wasted. The Savior can turn wounds into compassion, hardship into spiritual strength, disappointment into new direction, and difficult experiences into opportunities to bless others.
This week’s Come Follow Me for Teens Study & Teaching Guide helps teens and those who teach them explore the powerful lessons found throughout the book of Esther.
Esther’s story unfolds during a time when many Jews were living throughout the vast Persian Empire. Orphaned as a young girl and raised by her cousin Mordecai, Esther could not have known how the unusual circumstances of her life would eventually place her in a position to save her people. Through a series of seemingly unrelated events, Esther became queen, Mordecai uncovered a plot against the king, and his act of loyalty was recorded but temporarily forgotten.
When Haman later persuaded the king to authorize the destruction of the Jews, Esther faced a terrifying decision. Approaching the king without being invited could result in her death. Yet with the support of Mordecai, the united fasting of her people, and faith in God’s purposes, Esther chose to act. Haman’s plan was ultimately exposed, the Jews were protected, Mordecai was honored, and what had been intended for destruction was “turned to the contrary.”
This guide helps youth focus on three powerful principles:
“Who Knoweth Whether Thou Art Come to the Kingdom for Such a Time as This?”
How the many seemingly random events in Esther’s life reveal the quiet work of an all-knowing God. Vashti lost her position as queen. Esther was raised by Mordecai and brought into the palace. Mordecai overheard a plot against the king, and his service was recorded but not immediately rewarded. Later, on the exact night Haman planned to request Mordecai’s death, the king could not sleep and ordered the royal records to be read.
Viewed separately, these events may seem coincidental. Viewed together, they reveal divine design. This principle helps teens understand that God sees the entire story of their lives. He can work through relationships, interests, delays, disappointments, opportunities, and ordinary circumstances to prepare His children to bless one another.
The guide also carefully teaches that God does not necessarily cause every painful event or predetermine every detail. Rather, He is never surprised by what happens and can use even difficult circumstances to accomplish His purposes. Teens will be invited to trust God’s knowledge and timing even when they cannot yet see what He is preparing.
“Fast Ye for Me … I Also and My Maidens Will Fast Likewise”
How Esther’s decision to fast teaches teens where to turn when God’s purposes require them to do something difficult.
Esther may have believed that she had been placed in the kingdom for a reason, but that knowledge did not remove her fear. She had not been invited to see the king for thirty days, and Persian law allowed anyone who entered the king’s court uninvited to be put to death unless the king extended his golden sceptre.
Before approaching him, Esther asked the Jews in Shushan to fast for her for three days. She and her maidens would fast as well. Fasting did not remove the danger, but it helped Esther place faith above fear, the spirit above the body, and God’s will above her instinct for self-preservation.
This principle helps youth better understand the law of the fast and the spiritual power that can come through fasting with prayer, purpose, and real intent. It explores how fasting can invite revelation, strengthen self-mastery, loosen spiritual burdens, and help teens seek the Lord’s power when facing fears, difficult decisions, weaknesses, temptations, or concerns for someone they love.
“It Was Turned to the Contrary”
How the conclusion of Esther’s story teaches teens that Jesus Christ can take pain, opposition, and suffering and turn them toward greater good.
Haman intended to destroy the Jews, but his plan was completely reversed. Mordecai was elevated, Esther’s people were protected, their sorrow was turned into joy, and their deliverance became known throughout the Persian Empire. What was meant to silence and destroy God’s people ultimately increased their influence and strengthened their position.
This principle helps teens understand that God does not cause every painful or evil thing that happens. Haman’s hatred was his own choice, just as betrayal, abuse, cruelty, loss, and sin are not made good simply because the Lord can later bring something meaningful from them.
The miracle is that nothing is beyond the redeeming power of Jesus Christ.
Through the examples of Esther, Joseph of Egypt, Bart Millard and the story behind “I Can Only Imagine,” Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s experience as a discouraged young father, and personal experiences shared within the lesson, teens will see how God can take experiences they never would have chosen and use them to deepen faith, increase compassion, redirect their lives, and prepare them to strengthen others.
This guide is designed to help teens see one central truth:
God knows the whole story, strengthens us to fulfill His purposes, and through Jesus Christ can redeem even the painful parts of our lives.
Inside this guide:
Full background for the week
3 readiness / object lesson activities
3 complete teaching principles
Exact scripture blocks from the weekly study
Discovery, discussion and journal questions
Expanded teacher-friendly teaching sections
Powerful quotes from Church leaders
Testimony prompts and personal application ideas
Practical application actions for each principle
Christ-centered connections to faith, repentance, healing, obedience, and the word of the Lord
Designed for:
Parents teaching teens at home
Youth Sunday School support
Young Men and Young Women leaders
Seminary-style family discussions
Teens studying Come Follow Me on their own
Teachers wanting a ready-to-use weekly lesson framework
Ideal for:
10–20 minute family gospel lessons
Youth class discussions
One-on-one parent/teen conversations
Personal study during the week
Leaders who want deeper teaching without starting from scratch
This week’s guide points youth to the central message of Esther:
God may be working in their lives long before they recognize His design. Through fasting and prayer, He can give them strength to face difficult responsibilities. And through Jesus Christ, He can take experiences of pain, disappointment, opposition, and loss and turn them toward healing, growth, service, and eventual joy.
As teens study Esther and Mordecai, they will be invited to consider what circumstances may be preparing them “for such a time as this,” what concern or weakness they could bring before the Lord through fasting, and what painful part of their story they may need to place more fully in the Savior’s hands.
Esther’s story reminds youth that faith does not mean they will always understand what God is doing. It means trusting that He sees what they cannot see. It means seeking His strength when the next step feels frightening. And it means believing that because of Jesus Christ, evil, sorrow, and pain do not have to have the final word.
Their worst days do not have to become wasted days.
In the hands of Jesus Christ, wounds can become compassion, disappointment can redirect a life, weakness can lead to greater dependence upon Him, and personal suffering can eventually become a source of light and strength to someone else.
Everything parents and youth leaders need to teach "Come Follow Me" to teens - Without hours of prep.
