The story of Esther is remarkable for many reasons. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it is that G-d is not mentioned from beginning to end. A Jewish girl, the daughter of captives in exile, becomes Queen of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Through her royal position and her influence with the King, the Jewish people are saved from extermination. G-d works an amazing miracle to rescue His people, yet He apparently never speaks to them, never appears to them ... never seems to be at work to save them. Salvation apparently comes about through the bravery and wisdom of a young Jewish Queen.

I must admit, I am always a little worried by G-d's 'absence' from the Purim Story. After all, the fear and trepidation the Jewish people must have felt while living in the shadow of death must have been great. They must have cried out to G-d in desperation, seeking reassurance and comfort. Did G-d close His ears to their cries and refuse to respond? If so, how can we be sure that when we cry out to Him, He will not stay hidden in a similar fashion? Scary!

Of course, we know that G-d was at work during the Purim Story. We know that by the time Haman rose to power and put his plan to kill all the Jewish people into action, G-d had already chosen Esther, elevated her to the position of Queen of Persia, and placed within her power the chance to influence the King and save the Jewish people. Looking back, we know that although G-d is not mentioned in the Purim Story, He is really there in every word, in every sentence, on every page. If He wasn't there, we would not have a Purim Story today!

At the time, however, salvation for the Jewish people was not a foregone conclusion. They didn't know that everything was going to work out for the good and that they would be saved. They were already in exile from Israel because of the idolatry of previous generations ... did they wonder whether G-d had finally turned His back on them and delivered them into the hands of an enemy who was all too ready to wipe them out? Perhaps G-d spoke to individuals, but there was no communal revelation to comfort the Jewish people and to give them hope and faith. They had to cry out to G-d with faith in the face of ... what? Abandonment?

One of the last things Yeshua told His disciples while He was on earth was, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." Because we have faith in Yeshua as our Messiah and Saviour, we know that He will always be with us ... that even though we cannot see Him, He will always be beside us and will never leave us. Does that mean, however, that we are always aware of His presence beside us? Does that mean that there will never be times when we are in great fear and trepidation, when we cry out to G-d ... and we apparently receive no answer? When, like the Jewish people in the Purim Story, we feel that G-d has finally given up on us? When we feel abandoned by G-d?

I know this may be a confrontational thing to say, but think we all have times when things look black, when we cry out to G-d, when for reasons of His own, G-d does not seem answer. I think we all have times when we feel as if we are hurting and crying alone, banging on locked doors when we pray, wondering whether Yeshua promised to be with everyone but us. I think that at times like these we need to remember the Purim Story. Remember a Jewish girl whisked away from her family, her home and her Jewish people. Remember a young Queen of Persia who knew exactly when to approach the King and beg him to save her life and the life of her people. Remember how G-d brought about the salvation of His people at a time when He was apparently hiding from them. Remember that G-d never abandons us, even when we feel that He has ...

Think about the story of Purim for a moment. Think about all the 'coincidences' that occur ... King Xerxes holds a party designed to impress everyone, his wife lets him down so he divorces her, he decides to choose a new Queen from all the beautiful girls in his empire, Esther catches his eye and pleases him so much that he chooses her as Queen, Esther is installed in the Royal Palace and has a unique influence over the King. That's a lot of 'coincidences' already, before the drama of the Purim Story unfolds! Consider, then, that when Haman reveals his plan to kill the Jewish people Queen Esther possesses the bravery to approach the King uninvited and the wisdom to know when to reveal her identity as a Jewish girl and when to beg for his mercy. Perhaps this part of the story contains more 'coincidences' than the rest of the story. King Xerxes rewards Esther's bravery with unusual grace and forbearance. When he learns her secret identity and understands her request, he continues to love her and does as she asks. Remarkable!

Did all this happen by accident? Were any of these things really 'coincidences'? I don't think so. I think that each of these incidents was carefully planned by G-d. I think that He gave Queen Esther the bravery and wisdom she needed. I think that He gave King Xerxes the grace and forbearance he required in order to be able to cope and act properly after his wife's revelation and request. All the time that He appeared to be silent, to be hiding, G-d was actually working on behalf of His Jewish people. The salvation that came about through the actions of a Queen was in fact the salvation of G-d.

We have looked for G-d in the Purim Story and we have found Him. So, can we look for G-d in our own lives and find Him at work there as well? When life is black and we feel alone, abandoned, can we look past the pain and tears, past the feeling of abandonment, and see G-d at work in the ordinary, everyday 'coincidences'? It doesn't take a great deal to look for G-d. Just keep your eyes open and expect to be surprised by the ordinary. I think there are times when, for His own reasons, G-d will refuse us the petitions we make, the desires of our heart, and surprise us with other things instead. For instance ...

This Purim I am planning a rather special Purim Costume. I love dressing up and Purim is the only chance I get to do so, so I like to do a proper job. This year I chose a character from a book, decided what dress to wear, purchased a pattern and set about gathering some materials to make the dress. There is a lot going on in our life at the moment. It's difficult ... everyday brings frustrations and pain. There are things going on in our life that I wish so badly would just go away. It's hard seeing what G-d is doing. It's 'one of those times' when I struggle to see G-d at work and am tempted to wonder whether He has given up on us. In the midst of all this, buying the dress fabric for my Purim Costume did not seem particularly important.

On the day when I was supposed to be going to buy the dress fabric with my mother and sisters, I was unwell. I told my mother exactly what I wanted, stayed at home and resigned myself to a dress that was almost - but not quite - as nice as I wanted. I honestly did not expect my mother and sisters to get exactly the dress fabric that I had in mind. They 'phoned me a couple of times to say, 'What about this fabric ... ?' or 'What about that fabric ... ?' To be honest, it wasn't looking good. I wondered whether I should pray about the dress fabric for my Purim Costume and dismissed the idea. It seemed so ridiculous to pray about my Purim Costume when I am supposed to be grown up and am so worried about the other, more important, 'serious' things in our life which I usually talk to G-d about.

My mother and sisters eventually got home and unloaded the dress fabric from the car. They brought the fabric into the house and opened the bags. They produced the lace and ribbons and paper roses first and left the dress fabric until last. Finally, they produced the fabric and ... it was exactly the type of fabric I had had in mind all along! The colour was perfect, the design was perfect, the weight was perfect ... if I had not been unwell and had gone with them, it was exactly the fabric I would have chosen! It turns out that my mother and sisters saw it at the very last moment, didn't bother to 'phone me again, and bought it on impulse.

I couldn't believe it (I'm not sure I really do now!). I had not prayed about my Purim Costume because I thought it would be silly at my age and in our present situation, but to G-d my Purim Costume was not silly. He took the trouble to make sure that I got exactly the right dress fabric ... in spite of all the other 'serious' things going on. While I was feeling abandoned because I can't see Him at work in the 'big picture' of our lives at the moment, G-d quietly appeared where I wasn't expecting Him and answered a prayer I hadn't even prayed. WOW!

So you see ... G-d is always with us, always looking out for us, always listening to our spoken (and unspoken) prayers. Sometimes He hides Himself and stays quiet. But that does not mean He is not there. Remember what Yeshua promised? "I am with you always ..." (my italics). Sometimes we need to remember the message of G-d hiding from the Purim Story. Sometimes we need to look for G-d. In the ordinary. In the everyday. In the 'coincidences'. Wherever. But we need to look for G-d ... and we need to expect to find Him in our lives just as we expect to find Him in the Purim Story. Where are you going to look for Him today?!

Copyright J.E. Allen - MET