08032019 Esther

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our sovereign God. He is always in control, always using both the big and small things in life to accomplish His plan. We can trust that wherever He has us, it is the right place; whatever our circumstances, they are under His careful supervision.

I read the book of Esther one day this week, or maybe last week. Every time I do, that book just leaves me amazed. God is not mentioned in the book. There are no heavenly visions, no declarations by prophets, no word of the LORD, no sermons preached or parables taught, no dramatic miracles. Even prayer is not mentioned, though it is probably implied by the fasting.

In spite of that "non-spiritual" context, God's hand is obviously at work throughout the book. A few years ago as I read through a new Bible, I highlighted various things. I used blue for themes or recurrent ideas within books. In Esther, I have highlighted in blue all the times that God's hand was at work although His name was not recorded. There are so many minor, ordinary things that apparently were entirely inconsequential, but God transformed them into interwoven facets of His great plan.

The king decided to give a great banquet. He decided to have Vashti brought from her women's banquet to parade before his guests. She refused. The king's advisors decided the appropriate response was to dethrone Vashti and choose a new queen. Esther was beautiful. Esther was chosen as a participant, pleased the man in charge, and was sent to the best spot in the harem. She continued to find favor and was chosen to be presented to the king. The king liked Esther so much that he suspended the contest. Mordecai overheard a threat against the king. A particular man, Haman, was put on the fast track in politics. Haman was irked by Mordecai's refusal to bow - so much that he wanted to destroy all Jews. The roll of the dice resulted in the most advantageous result. The king rubber stamped Haman's request without investigation. Mordecai sent Esther an extraordinary request. Esther had not recently been summoned to the king. The king extended his favor to Esther and offered her anything she wanted. Haman's anger against Mordecai exploded on the wrong night, and he ordered gallows built. The king couldn't sleep. His chosen response was to be read court records, and they happened to include the incident of Mordecai's warning to the king. No reward had been given to Mordecai at the time. Haman was instructed to honor Mordecai. Esther's request to the king met with approval. Haman unwittingly placed himself in a situation that appeared compromising. The perpetrator of the plan against the Jews was hanged. The king found a way to make a law to protect the Jews. Out of fear, the Jews' enemies easily acquiesced, and 75,000 enemies were killed. Mordecai ended up as the king's counselor.

While this long list may seem tedious, I hope you get the point and can make personal application. There is nothing so random or insignificant that God cannot use it to accomplish His plan. Consider some of these components: the decisions of politicians, a queen's insubordination, physical appearance, the favor of ordinary people who happen to be in the right position, an overheard conversation, political pride and ambition, a game of chance, insomnia, the random choosing of reading material, unforgiveable oversights, misconstrued physical position, and momentum shifts in social issues.

Might not some of these same components (or something similarly random) be at work in your life and ministry? Perhaps you face situations that bring fear, uncertainty, or even danger. Those are under God's control. Maybe you are dealing with politicians, community leaders, neighbors, even church leadership that seems bound to cause contention that will hinder the ministry. They are under God's control. It may be that puzzling or frustrating things have been happening in your health or the daily routine of life. Those are under God's control also.

We don't always see how these things work out, but they do. We might see the providential impact with the passing of time, but maybe not. Regardless of what we can humanly perceive, we can be confident that God is indeed working, coordinating, and orchestrating everything for His purposes.

"And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4:35).

Just keep walking forward, trusting God each day to work out His plan. He is able!

Love in Christ,
Peggy Holt
member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA
www.pressingontohigherground.blogspot.com