Esther 6:1
“On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.”
The decree had been made and published in every province of Babylon that on a certain day every Jew was to be killed. It must have seemed like a dark day for every Jew to know that their existence was going to end. They could not leave because they were captives in the land. They must have felt that they were trapped and that there was no way out of this horrible situation.
However, they could not see what God was doing. It says in the verse above, “On that night could not the king sleep…” What the Jews could not see was that God was working in the heart of the king. The king couldn’t sleep because God wouldn’t let him sleep. God knew that when the king had the records of the chronicles read to him, he would discover how Mordecai saved his life, and he would honor him for that act. It is encouraging that God was working even when His people could not see His work.
Have you ever felt a little like the Jews in that everything was against you and you wondered if God was doing anything to help your situation? The story in the verse above should encourage you that there is more going on than what you can see. There are a few thoughts we can glean from this story.
First, just because you don’t see God working doesn’t mean that He is not working. God doesn’t always work on the stage, but He often works on the backstage where you don’t see His hand working for you. You may recall in Daniel 10:13 how Daniel prayed and saw no answer, but God was already working in the background with an answer. You must adopt the mindset that you don’t have to see God working to know that He is working. Always remember that God is working in your situation even before you know of the situation.
Second, don’t despair when you don’t see God working. There is always hope when you are a child of God. God reminds us that He is working for us in Luke 12 when he says, “…how much more…” If God is going to feed the raven and clothe the grass of the field, “how much more” do you think He will care for your situation? If God is concerned with His creation for whom He did not die, “how much more” do you think He cares for His creation for whom He did die? You must not despair when you don’t see God working. You have to trust Him that He is doing work which you cannot see.
Third, when you don’t see God working, live as if you saw Him working. When you don’t see God working in your situation, pray with the confidence as if you do see Him working. When you don’t see God working, keep soul winning and praising Him as if you can see what He is doing in the background of your life.
There are going to be times in your life when you don’t see God working. In these times, you must trust that “…all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) I can assure you with the authority of God’s Word that no matter what you face today, God is already working a solution for your situation. So, cheer up my friend; you will see what God is doing if you don’t give up.