Who Knows? God Does.
By Dean Collins
When you are in the beginning, middle, or later stages of a tough season, there are a few things that are true about your situation. First, you don't know whether you are in the beginning, middle, or end of your tough season. When you get the diagnosis, see the business indicators that suggest you have a problem, get the call that your family member was arrested, find out your spouse was unfaithful—or fill in the blank with your current hard time—you simply have no idea the details or the life span of your difficulty.
Second, at some point you think or ask someone, and hopefully even God, “Why is this happening?” It's a normal human response to ask the question. It is often an almost impossible question to answer, but it is normal and maybe even healthy to ask it. The unhealthy aspect is to stay stuck at the question and the constant obsession with the "why" of a matter.
Third, you have to go through your difficult situation. There aren't many secret doors of escape for the problems of life, and if you find one, it may have worse consequences than just staying the course.
Fourth, and maybe most important, you simply don't know what God might do when you ask him to meet you in your mess. What I am confident is this: God will meet you in your moment of crisis, and he never wastes a difficult situation. In time he will reveal his glory for you and others to see.
I read Esther this morning. It is one of my favorite stories in the Bible and the verse that is most often quoted is 4:14, when Mordecai asks Esther, "And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" That's a great question and one we need to remember! We usually focus on the "for such a time as this" part of the question, but I want to focus on the "who knows?" part. You don't know and I don't know and maybe no one we know actually knows. Only God knows and we won't know what he knows until he reveals it, and when he reveals it, we can be sure it will be the right time for the right reason.
Mordecai shared the right question with his niece in the crisis that threatened their lives, along with all of the Jews living at the time. Because of Esther and her uncle’s bold pursuit of God and their courageous faithfulness, God saved all of his children. And of course, God is still in the saving business. And not only does God save us, he transforms us and equips us to do his kingdom work today.
It's hard to do but maybe, just maybe, we can thank God for difficult times because in them, we often find him and catch a glimpse of his great love, power, and ultimately see his glory.
Father, we see you at work in the book of Esther, even when the book never uses your name! Thank you for never leaving us. Thank you for your involvement in our lives and circumstances even when we have trouble seeing where you are or what you are doing. Today, we place our faith and trust in you. Do your work in us and through us and for your glory! In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Esther 4:14, 10:1-3 ESV
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