Skip to main content

Providence






“Providence”

God has an incredible way of taking what Satan means for evil in our lives and turning it around for good. 

v  Chance and circumstance are fully within God’s providence
v  Reversal and irony are evidence of God’s hand in a book where He is never mentioned by name
v  God can deliver his people even if he chooses to work behind the scenes
v  God’s means of deliverance are never exhausted
v  God’s plans cannot be thwarted



  • Impale Haman on it! The king orders that Haman be hung on the very gallows he had erected for Mordecai. This great reversal of fortunes demonstrates the guiding hand of God.

All the reversals point us to the greatest reversal of all: Christ came to undo the fall. He took Adam’s disaster – our disaster – and in a most unexpected way, He turned death on its head and gave us life (Romans 5:17).  

No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD. (Isaiah 54:17 NASB)

Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him. (Psalm 37:7)

I have seen a wicked, violent man spreading himself like a luxuriant tree in its native soil. Then he passed away, and lo, he was no more; I sought for him, but he could not be found. (Psalm 37:35, 36)

“Do not be deceived,” Paul writes. “What a man sows, that shall he reap” (Galatians 6:7)

Haman is hung on the very gallows he had constructed for Mordecai.

God’s control cannot be calculated, God’s solution cannot be anticipated, and God’s plan cannot be thwarted, because no one has all the information. God is still in the business of miracles, but more often than not, they are “miracles of circumstance,” occurring behind the scenes in ways could never be anticipated. Theologians call this “Providence”.

John C. Maxwell is one of my favorite authors and I have read many of his books. Here’s his commentary on chapter 7 of The Book of Esther.


The Law of Solid Ground: God, Esther & Haman
 “The Maxwell Leadership Bible,” Esther 7:1-10, p. 625


These three - God, Esther & Haman each play a leading role in the Book of Esther: God is the leader in control; Esther is the leader under control; and Haman is the leader out of control. Consider each one:


God:  The Leader in Control

He took Queen Vashti off the throne
He gave Esther the throne
He used Mordecai to supply information
He put everyone in place before the crisis


Esther: The Leader Under Control

 Her position didn’t steal her compassion
She felt limited in what she could do
She knew her place in the organization 
She felt the need to fast and pray
She depended on the prayers of others
She was willing to take a risk and obey
She didn’t take advantage of generosity
She recognized the importance of timing


Haman: The Leader Out of Control

He misunderstood the times 
His lost joy over little problems
He needed friends to build his self-image
His greed and ambition made him unhappy 
He listened to the wrong people
He thought too highly of himself
He set himself up for a fall
He reaped what he sowed

Be blessed and be a blessing,


Cheryl 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good Friday

  Happy Good Friday   This is the day that we remember what Jesus did for us --- enduring beating, mocking, and being crucified.   I imagine his disciples did not consider it to be a “good” Friday at the time. But what makes it GOOD is what happened on Sunday --- when Jesus did the impossible and rose from the dead.    Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  ~ 1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV   One of the best ways of celebrating Jesus and His Resurrection…is through family traditions.    Family traditions can be as simple as attending  ️  church and having lunch or brunch together.    Jesus was a story-teller. I believe he knew the power of a story to capture hearts and bring joy while effectively delivering a specific message. He often used parables to tea...
Post a Comment
Read more

Canva

Created 2 Create Twitter Cover Image Design Canva - One of My Favorite Design Programs and Apps With Canva , you don’t have to be a design pro, it makes designing easy. You can use your own photos or you can you upload images from sites like Unsplash or Pexels  and download them on your computer totally FREE. Canva also offers an app for you phone. Canva lets you Create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook & social media covers, flyers, posters, invitations and many more.  The design options are endless, and the site is very user-friendly – you can modify one the their designs or create your own using one of the templates. Unsplash offers professional images that you can modify, edit and use as you desire. Again, totally free! Pexels ’ site is just like Upsplash , these are royalty-free photographs for you to use as you wish. These are some of the designs I created using Canva … Click on l...
7 comments
Read more

Why God Wants to Bless You!

  Why God Wants to Bless You!   “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Matthew 25:29, ESV). Do you know that God wants to bless you? He wants you to have abundance, lacking no good thing. But He doesn’t want that for you and me so we can merely enjoy our lives. He wants us to steward our resources so we can be better able to reach out to others and bless them in His name. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16 (ESV),   “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”   The goal is fruitfulness. The goal is God’s Kingdom. The goal is for God’s blessing to flow through us so we might be a blessing to others, to the glory of His name!
Post a Comment
Read more