God’s name may be absent from the book of Esther but His presence is not. Quietly, invisibly, yet effectively, He was at work…setting the stage for results that would “work together for good” (Romans 8:28). But you would’ve never been able to tell it on the faces of the ancient Jews in Persia. The confusion at the end of Esther 3, mixed with the weeping and wailing of chapter 4, would have caused anyone living in that day to think that God was either absent or indifferent. The evil plan to exterminate the Jews was well underway. Queen Esther may have responded with patriotic zeal (Esther 4:15–16), but nothing visible had given anyone any hope…at least not yet. But remember, God moves in mysterious ways.

Esther 5

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