Where is God?
The story of Esther consists of marvelous twists and turns, ups and downs, as God orchestrates human action and situations for the good of His people. God’s name is not mentioned in this story, but oh how His hands are greatly at work in these events!
Esther, a Jew, ends up as the queen when King Ahasuerus delights in her above all women, though she has not yet told him she is a Jew. When Mordecai, Esther’s cousin who took her in after her parents died, finds out that there is a plot to kill Jews across the lands, he implores her help.
Providence
I hear the resounding presence of God when Mordecai says to Esther, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (4:14). Just like God turned the hearts of kings in Nehemiah, the LORD is using the influence of human rulers to save His people from destruction.
This story makes me reflect on my story, particularly in the times of opposition, trial, or distress. Do I choose to trust my God who works all things for the good of those who love Him, or will I fail to worship Him by choosing to worry, stress, and seek to take matters in to my own hands? Oh, how I would love to have the wherewithal of Esther as she sought to save her people, saying,
“I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:16
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“What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Ev'rything to God in prayer!”
Verse 1 of “What A Friend We Have in Jesus” by Joseph Scriven, 1855.