In the book of Esther, although God is never mentioned by name, He is there in the background. The book is one of triumph over seemingly dire circumstances, something everyone can learn from.

From orphan to Queen

There is much contention as to whether Esther has a say in her situation. Some say it is her job to do what the men around her tell her to do. She must obey her uncle by entering the palace, and obey orders such as making herself beautiful for a whole year, solely to please the king, waiting until he asks to see her (Esther 2:12).

However, Esther did have a choice. If she had chosen not to follow instructions at any point, her people would have been wiped out (Esther 2:20). Her obedience was part of the plan which allowed their very existence to continue. She was in the right place at the right time for God to use her, faithful in the midst of horrendous circumstances.

Esther used her beauty and intelligence to get what she needed from the King, allowing him to party for days. Some life! Esther also displays immense strength of character, as well as trust in God. Had the king found out that Esther was Jewish, and what her uncle was planning, she would have lost her life.

When have you felt overwhelmed by your circumstances?

What, if anything, has God asked you to do that later on you realised you were in the right place at the right time?

God has a purpose for each one of our lives (Ephesians 2:10). Finding out just what that is can be straightforward or it can be something we wrestle with. We can think we know what God's purpose is, only for God to take it from us and give us something else. Each of us has a purpose in God's master plan however insignificant we might feel. The book of Esther proves that. An orphan became Queen and saved her people from extinction, all to the Glory of God. Purim is a Jewish festival which celebrates this. I’ve asked my friend James to explain more about it:

What Purim means to me

I’m a Messianic Jew, which means I’m a Jewish guy who recognises Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah. I love Jewish culture and I love the way it points to Him. For me, celebrating Purim with other Messianic Jews is a huge amount of fun – it’s traditional to wear fancy dress, and read the whole of the book of Esther, cheering when Mordecai’s name is read and booing when Haman’s name is read! As with all Jewish festivals, we also have food, including Hamantaschen ("Haman’s ears") - triangular pastries filled with poppy seeds. Like a lot of Jewish festivals, Purim can be summed up in three sentences: “They tried to kill us. God delivered us. Let’s eat!”

More seriously, Purim reminds me that God is faithful to preserve the Jewish people against all of our enemies – Purim resonates with so much of Jewish history, particularly the Holocaust. Supremely, though, it’s a story with a twist: God’s name isn’t mentioned, but He’s clearly working behind the scenes to save His people, as one man dies on a tree in place of another. Where have we heard that one before?