Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred; the Jews gained master over those who hated them. Esther 9:1
It was fully expected that the Jews would be destroyed. Evil Haman had set in motion a plan of destruction. But in a twist of irony, and because of the character of Mordecai and obedience of Esther, God overrode evil and instead protected His people, making it effective the very same day they expected to be attacked. So instead of a terrible day, it was a day of rejoicing.
Humans like to have an idea of what is coming. We like to have a sense of control over ourselves and our destiny. As I write this, Americans are coming up to Independence Day. It's a day we take pride in our freedom. But I struggle with whether it is biblical to be independent. There doesn't seem to be scriptural basis for living life "my way" or without depending on others in a healthy, community type way. In our struggle for independence we want control, but no one has full control over their lives.
Every one of us could relate an instance in our life when what we thought was coming didn't, or what we didn't see coming did. Sometimes, these are wonderful surprises, like a couple struggling with infertility finding out they are expecting. Or a surprise visit home from a soldier. Or a great job offer that wasn't even on the radar a few months before.
Along with that come the sad things, like my dad passing away in his sleep while my son slept with him camping. Or the tragic parasailing accident that just this week took a former co-workers young son-in-law all too soon from his wife of two years. Or being told, "I'm sorry, but we are having to let you go from this job," or the "I don't love you anymore" statements that rock you to the core.
Why, in this case, did God decide to do a miracle, when it appears He doesn't do the same thing in other cases? I really don't know. All I can say is that we live in an unbalanced, evil world, that also is full of grace, love and truth if you look for it. I don't think God's first choice would be that Adam and Eve would reject His command. I also don't think He wanted to force them to obey. We blame God when things go wrong, but perhaps in some cases, He didn't cause it...it was a result of a culmination of sinful choices in our world. Yet, He does have the power to step in, and He did in the story of Esther.
I think God actually steps in more often than we give Him credit for...it just may not be in the way we want or expect. Like the times that true friendship shines and bonds because of intervention in a time of crises. Or discovering a brand new place to work and serve that would never have been considered if not for the current layoff. Or the new love found after the first spouse has gone home to heaven. So many people can give testimony of new strength, new love, new discoveries when they expected only negative things to happen.
So, today, open your eyes in that situation that seems hopeless. Or maybe not hopeless, but frustrating. There just may be a quieter way the God is intervening, to support, and rescue you in ways you may not expect.
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How has God intervened in your life in an unexpected way?
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