Where Is God?

“Where is God?” is a curious title for a sermon series, but it is fitting for the book of Esther. Esther is an intriguing book of the Bible – for one thing, it never mentions the name of God. It’s a captivating story of a powerful king, his beautiful bride, a conniving assistant, and a faithful Jew. They combine to weave a tale of reversals and plot twists that seem to come out of a movie studio. But behind it all, orchestrating all of the events, is the unseen hand of God. He who is not mentioned is ever present to rescue and deliver his people. In the end, justice is served.

Perhaps you have experienced those times where you have asked the same question, “Where is God?” We all go through seasons of life where God feels mysteriously absent, even though He has promised his presence. The book of Esther reminds us that God is always at work. His unseen hand is always guiding us, protecting us, and strengthening us to do bold things. We will see the most powerful character being manipulated, the power-hungry character begging for mercy, the most helpless character acting boldly to save her people, and the faithful character being rewarded.

Esther is an important book in the Jewish community, as it is read annually at Purim. We will see over the next few weeks that it is an important book for our lives as well. It is our hope that the series brings hope, boldness, and faith in the unseen hand of God to all who spend time with us on this journey.