Esther 2

Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. —Albert Einstein

I recently saw that quote on a church’s outdoor marquee, and I must say that I agree. In fact, I don’t even believe in coincidences anymore. I think all the details of our lives—even the nitty gritty ones—are being woven and spun by God into this grand tapestry. I don’t think He leaves anything to chance. Does He leave things to choice? Yes. But to chance? No. At least I don’t think so.

The Einstein quote also made me think of the book of Esther. Where is God in the book of Esther? In case you weren’t aware, Esther is only one of two books in the Bible that never mentions God by name. (Song of Solomon is the other one.) That’s why I find it so interesting that this book which never mentions God still has God stamped all over it. In fact, from my perspective, it’s almost easier to see God in this story than in some others in the Bible where He is specifically mentioned and given credit!

Today’s chapter related the events that culminated in Esther’s becoming Queen of Persia. From hundreds of women, she was selected to take the place of Queen Vashti (who had been banished because of her principles). Unbeknownst to the king, Esther was a Jew. Esther’s uncle had advised her not to volunteer information about her nationality and family background, and she listened to his advice. At the time, there was still a great deal of hostility toward the Israelites, and if Esther had been up front about her ancestry, it’s likely she would not have been made queen.

Like a great symphony of unfolding music, every successive event in this chapter brought Esther one step closer to being queen until, in the grand finale, the king chose her from among all the other eligible women. He "set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. And the king gave a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials. He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality." (vs 17-18)

How in the world did a little Jewish orphan become the Queen of Persia? And how in the world did these events unfold immediately prior to an evil plan that would threaten the continued existence of the Jewish race? Do you think it’s coincidence? I most certainly don’t.

The truth is, the Book of Esther—though it doesn’t formally use God’s name—is all about God and how He provides just what we need at just the right time. In this case, He was working to put Esther in the right place before anyone even knew there was trouble coming down the road. When the moment came, she was right where she needed to be to help save God’s people.

For this reason, Paul writes that "what may be known about God is plain... because God has made it plain. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (vs 19-20)

Even when God is "invisible," He can clearly be seen working in our lives and the lives of those around us. Even if we don’t mention Him, He’s right there in the middle of our stories, working things out for our best good even before we know what we need. So we may sometimes feel like it’s now you see Him, now you don’t with God, but the truth is, even when we don’t "see" Him, He’s right there!