Did you know that God isn't mentioned once in the book of Esther? So where is He? That's what God has taught me this week.
Last night I started a five-day devotional on Esther, and it told of how in Esther, God worked behind the scenes. An old Scottish probverb says, "A coincidence is a minor miracle in which God chooses to remain anonymous." God is ALWAYS working, even when we can't see Him. In this story we see Esther, a simple Jewish girl, being raised up to be a queen. When she finds out that Haman is planning to expose Mordecai (Esther's cousin) as a traitor and have all the Jews in the Persian Empire killed, she uses her influence on the king to tell him about Haman's plan and it turns out that Haman is the one who is executed.
As we look at the story, we can see God's plan unfolding. It wasn't a mistake that Queen Vashti was knocked off the throne. Chance didn't make King Xerxes like Esther. And it wan't a coincidence that Esther was now queen. God was behind it all.
When Mordecai heard about Haman's plan to kill him and the Jews, Mordecai sent this message to Esther, "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14 NIV)
Esther realized God's call on her life, and sent this reply back to Mordecai, "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:16 NIV)
Now, theres one thing you have to know. In those days a woman could not approach the king unless he summoned her. If she went without being called, the punishment was death. The only thing that would save her was if the king held out his golden scepter. God gave Esther the courage to go to the king, and gave the king a love for Esther that caused him to extend to her the scepter. And through God's guidance, Esther delivered the Jews from destruction.
So, as we see in the story of Esther, God is constantly working. There is no such thing as a coincidence. That word should not even be in our dictionary. God works in everything. Not everything is from God though. The enemy, satan, is always trying to mess things up. But as we see in the story of Esther and of Joseph (Gen. 37-50), "God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28 NIV). In everything that happens to you, God can work it for your good. God is always the Victor, and when we belong to God, we are the Victors too.
The same in true in you own life. I know sometimes it's hard to see where God is moving, but I want to encourage you to ask God to open your eyes to see Him. As it says in Ephesians 1:18, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints" (NIV)
Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God." (NIV)
Our world is so busy and loud that sometimes it's hard to hear God's still small voice. We have to get alone in a quite place and just spend time in God's presence. So I encourage you today, get alone with God. Ask Him where He's working. He'll show you. You will see the world in a whole new way. And now that you see where He's working, you can join Him!
I hope this has encouraged you. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to e-mail me. :)
If you read this and realized that you don't know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you can receive Him right now. Click on this link and it will help you to know how to have a personal relationship with the God who created you.
