[For a short post which explains the meaning of Shrove Tuesday, see the link at the end of this post.]

“Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17).

The name of God does not appear in the book of Esther. Not even once. Some people wonder why it’s even in the Bible.

But I think the absence of God’s name is intentional. It’s a challenge for us as we read through the book: Can we see when God is at work even when he is not named and even when it’s not obvious?

In the book, no one prays. No one mentions Jerusalem. And there are no miracles. And yet, and as Karen Jobes observes: “our Lord is omnipotently present even where he is most conspicuously absent.”*

That’s true. Mordechai just so happens to be in the right place at the right time to discover an assassination plot against the King. It will lead to a grand reversal of fortunes later in the story. Esther rises in prominence to become queen. Because of this she will be in a position to later advocate for her people when they are threatened with annihilation.

These are dangerous events, but God is working—behind the scenes.

As you go about your day, be confident that God is always at work, even when it’s not obvious. Just as in the book of Esther, he is directing and guiding even when we’re surrounded by danger and deception, when we are living amongst people who often don’t share our values, and when it feels like everything is spinning out of control.

You may not know what is happening, but you know who it is happening with.

And that makes all the difference.

---

Notes and extra content:

—Shrove Tuesday. Click here for a brief explanation in a previous devotional.

—“Where is God? – Esther, Part 1” (Sermon). Click here. February 11, 2024.

—*Karen H. Jobes, Esther: The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 1999), 49.

—Bible quotes are from the NIV.