Never Absent

Our true comfort is knowing that God is always with us.

"Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether  you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him." —Esther 4:13-17

During high school I worked night proof operations at the bank where my father served as CEO. He wished for his son to follow his footsteps in a career that rewards dedication, consistency, and a willingness to learn. Before entering college my dad asked me the question most fathers ask their sons, “What do you plan to do when you grow up?” To his chagrin I really did not have an answer with any certainty. In fact I changed majors several times in the first two years before deciding on a choice that had nothing to do with banking. However, I did pursue banking for the next two decades before changing occupations. 

We all face the challenge of determining what we will do, who we are, and deciding what path to follow. Some of us never waiver or alter our plans. Others change choices as fast as the weather changes in Mississippi during Autumn; you dress for summer in the morning and winter at night. 

However, each decision we make impacts not only our lives but the lives of those around us. We do not live in isolation. Too often we neglect to seek guidance from those whom we trust and just blunder off without contemplating the result of our actions. At other times we freeze with the limitless number of options from which to choose. Regardless, our decisions, rather careless or calculated, ripple through the lives of our families, friends, and people with whom we share our journey through life. More importantly we frequently fail to place ourselves at the feet of the Lord Who knows us better than we understand ourselves. 

A constant factor that does not change is every decision we make does not escape the sovereignty of the Lord. We may plan, scheme, and adjust our course but, Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” 

Our eternal God Who never changes, never waives from His plan of redemption for His people. No one spurns His authority, steals His glory, or thwarts His plan. We may choose to deny His existence but that does not refute the fact He exists. We may not seek His wisdom, choosing to lean on our own folly, but His will will be done. David tells us we cannot flee His presence in Psalm 139. 

This is truly a comfort knowing the Lord is always with us. Jesus our Lord promises in the Great Commission, “And behold I am with you even until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) 

The book of Esther provides us an example of God’s sovereignty even when He appears to be absent. Haman, King Ahasuerus’ closest advisor, was determined to kill Mordecai for his refusal to bow before him. Haman not only desired the death of Mordecai. He sought and was granted

the approval to kill all the Jews in Persia, a land that extended from India to Africa. God’s people faced extermination. 

Where was God? His name is not even mentioned in the entire book of Esther. A young orphan girl, Hasassah, from the diaspora of the Jews becomes the Queen Esther of Persia in a series of events orchestrated by God. Living as a foreigner in a culture in which king Ahasuerus believes himself to be a god, The Lord places His servant in the royal palace. Mordecai, her cousin, destined for death on gallows seventy-five feet tall, as an enemy of the king, becomes second in command through a series of divine reversals. 

When Esther first learned of Haman’s plot she was rather non-chalant in her response. For her to go before the king without his request could result in her death. Then her cousin Mordecai explained in graphic detail the plot of Haman. He told her even her position as queen would not save her from this irrevocable edict. Reality sunk in. Esther understood the finality of the situation. Her people, even herself, faced death. Her next response was very different from her first. She asked for fasting for three days as she prepared herself to go to the king. 

The above two passages from Esther clearly indicate that regardless of our situation God is in control. We may not sense His presence, but we can have no doubt He is there. Dr. David Strain writes, “the presence of absence is not the same as the absence of presence.” The Lord places us exactly where He needs us to be. The circumstance may be one of difficulty and challenge. The obstacles may seem insurmountable. Regardless, we rely on His power, His strength, His wisdom, and His love for us. 

God, for His glory and for our good, places His people and all of creation where He chooses us to be in His redemptive plan. If Haman was successful, all of God’s people would have been destroyed. No Savior would have been born and we would all still be under the curse of sin.

No matter what we face in this life, we must remember that nothing touches us that first has not been filtered through the loving hands of Jesus which were nailed to the cross. We live in the same power of the Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead. The Spirit enables us to endure pain, trials, and anguish that lay ahead in our walk with Christ. When God seems absent, He is not. When the world seems to be on the path of destruction, remember the Word that spoke creation into existence will make all things new.

We may doubt who we are and where we are. We may question our condition. We may cry out to God and think He doesn’t hear. Still we must trust Him. He is molding us into who He wants us to be. As we labor for the Lord, where He has placed us, we continue to be used by Him. 

Richard Sutton is State Capital Minister for MTS-Mississippi.