The Unseen Hand of God in Our LivesPrøve

Faith Overcomes Fears In chapter 5, the scene changes dramatically once again. From the Jewish world of fasting and mourning, the reader is taken back to the courtroom of the king where feasting, not fasting, is the order of the day. In this chapter, we find that Esther is now starting to stand up for what she believes. She’s thinking of others and not just herself. She’s active and not passive. She’s speaking and not silent. She’s taking a risk, which is faith, and she’s not cowering in terror, which is fear. She now knows that she belongs to God. That’s why in chapter 4, she asks people to be fasting for her, so that within three days, she would go before the king to try and save her people. In verse 1, we read “now it came to pass”. These words call for special notice in a book that strikingly illustrates the providence of God both in regard to nations and individuals. They remind us that there is nothing stationary--that what comes is moving on. In verse 2, we read that she won favor in the sight of the king. Favor is repeatedly shown to Esther. We find this in Esther 2:9, 15, 17; 5:8, 7:3 and 8:5. Surely these multiple bestowals of favor reflect the providential hand of God working behind the scenes. If the king had chosen to not receive Esther, the Jews would have had to be delivered by some other means. But the king's heart was disposed toward Esther for as we read in Proverbs 21:1 “The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD. He turns it wherever He wishes.” At the banquet, we see three more evidences of the sovereignty of God. First, the Lord restrained Esther from telling Ahasuerus the truth about Haman. God was directing what she said and delaying the great exposure until after the king had honored Mordecai. Second, we see God at work in the way the king accepted the delay and agreed to come to the second banquet. Kings like Ahasuerus weren’t accustomed to being told to wait. But Ahasuerus agreed. Third, we find that none of Esther’s attendants who knew that she was a Jewess leaked this important information to Haman. Had Haman known the queen’s nationality, he would have immediately devised some plan to prevent her from interfering. But God was in control. In verse 10, we read that Haman restrained himself. It seems out of character. But this again is a remarkable evidence of the hand of God. God would not allow the fury of Haman to take action until all the proper pieces were set in place to ultimately defeat his plan. Haman is a case study in what happens when a person is filled with pride. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.” In verse 14, we read of how Haman agrees to the plan of his wife and friends to hang Mordecai on a gallows 75 feet high. But God was at work and these same gallows were used to hang Haman. Has there been a time in your life when you have faced your fear and overcome it to stand up for a cause you believed in and seen the unseen hand of God working in your life? Quote : “God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile” – Max Lucado Prayer : Lord, help me to overcome my fears and take the step of faith today. Amen