He was talking about the story of Esther in the Bible. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, Esther was a Jewish orphan who was adopted and raised by her cousin. When the king was looking for a new wife they held a massive beauty pageant and all the beautiful single ladies were forced to participate, which meant one night of sex with the King and a lifetime of living in his harem (except for the one lucky lady he chose to be Queen). Long story short, Esther is chosen to be Queen and after a chain of events it becomes obvious that God put her in that position to save thousands of people's lives (the Jews). It's a beautiful story of tragedy, irony, good conquering evil...if you haven't read it I really suggest that you do.
So, back to my topic. I was listening to Alistair Begg talk about what happened to Esther and it spurred some some self-reflection. Many of us have had experiences where we are like, "God, why are you letting this horrible thing happen to me?!?!" If anybody could have accused God of being unloving or not helping in time of need, it was Esther. Imagine being in her shoes. An orphan, trying to do what is right and live her life, maybe wanting to get married some day and have kids. She is forcibly taken from her family (at this point I would have started complaining to God about not helping me. "God why are you letting this happen?!?!"). She is held in custody for a year while she goes through beauty preparations. She is forced to have sex with a man she doesn't know and doesn't love, and possibly will be condemned to a life of living in his harem with hundreds of other women, never having a husband or a life of her own. How could a loving God allow this to happen to her? Why didn't God stop it?
Because God had greater plans that she couldn't see yet.
Alistair Begg said, "When God seems to be the most absent, that is when He is the most present."
Think about that.
God knew how things would work out years down the road. God, in His providence, arranged for the King to look for a new Queen, to choose Esther as his new Queen, and to use Esther to influence the King to save the lives of the Jewish people.
I can apply this to my own life. Each thing that happens to me today is a gift from God. In His perfect knowledge of the future He is orchestrating my life and the world around me. What happens today, this is my allotment for today and I should thank Him for it. Am I willing to trust Him always? Am I willing to look at the events in my day as my "daily bread" from God and be thankful for it? Lets take this a step further - am I willing to be thankful for the "daily bread", even when it hurts?
This is what I am going through right now. Difficulty and tragedy in my family. But who knows how God will work things out in the long run.
What are your thoughts?
Skin by SimplySilent
This brings to mind the song "Stronger" by Mandisa 