Esther is a unique book in the Bible, because it does not mention the name of God anywhere, but His fingerprints are woven throughout the series of events like a potter to a shapeless lump of clay.  Someone could call it a series of coincidences, but it is a series of God’s hand in the finer details to save her people.  

It just so happened that Vashti angered the King, and he needed a new queen.  Esther happened to be beautiful and happened to be chosen by the King above all other women.  Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, happens to eavesdrop on a plot to kill the King.  He tells Esther, and his deed is recorded.  The King happens to have insomnia and asks for a story to be read to him.  When he reads that a man saved him, he wishes to honor the man that his right-hand man, Haman, wants to kill.  Esther just so happens to fast for three days to speak to her King about saving the Jews.  She knows well the consequence if her request is denied.   

I could go on, but you get the picture.  There are finite details that came together to save the Jews, and if we look at each separately, we are incapable of seeing the grand design. But if you read the entire book of Esther in a day, you’ll be awestruck at His hand throughout the book.   

I also want to focus for a moment on the pain that Esther endured. We oftentimes think of her bravery and favor, but she endured a substantial amount of pain. She was an orphan who lived in Exile, taken captive by the King, and forced to sleep with him.  Esther did not have an easy life, but God walked with her and His favor upon her is remarkable.  There are pieces of my story that I sometimes still wish could be erased, but we have a God who is bigger, and a God who uses our brokenness and pain for His glory.  When I take a moment to consider all the events that led me to where I am right now, I am taken aback by His hand in my own life.  There have been painful moments and beautiful ones that have me sitting here right now, and I feel peaceful knowing that I serve a God who uses both the bad and good to lead me to where I am supposed to be.   

Take heart today, knowing that all the broken pieces make for one beautiful masterpiece.  

  *This message was inspired by David Platt (speaker at IF gathering).