God works in the trenches.

Consider the story of Esther and how messy it was. Young virgins were summoned for a sort of dark, horrid beauty contest in the Persian court. Because Mordechai refused to bow to the king’s second-in-command, Haman, a plot was hatched to kill not only Mordechai, but all of the Jewish people. Esther decided to approach the king to change the kill order, and she did so at great risk to her own life. Haman was discovered to be against Mordechai and was impaled on a 75 foot pole. A new law was passed that allowed the Jews to defend themselves against the upcoming slaughter.

Sounds all very neat and tidy. Not! 

Things were in a horrific mess. And yet, at no point did God excuse himself from the situation saying, ‘Oh wow, things are too messed up, best let them sort this one out on their own.’

Metaphorically speaking, our “trenches” are the messy and challenging places from which we fight our battles. The reason I highlight those details from the book of Esther is because it is a story which invites us to see the hand of God at work, even when things are exceedingly dangerous and difficult, and even when God’s work isn’t obvious.

What if God was working in your life despite the messes, sins, regrets and pain?

If you are in Christ, he is!

In Psalm 40, David expresses his faith in a God of providence who hears his people, lifts them up, brings good into their lives, and redeems them: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (verses 1-2).

Brothers and sisters, God works in the trenches, including yours.

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Notes:

–Pause Alert. After Friday, March 8th The Up Devotional will go on pause for two weeks. I’ll be on vacation for week 1 and then on study leave for week 2. It returns on March 25th during Holy Week. You can find back issues here, or listen as a podcast wherever you subscribe. You can also buy the most book of devotionals called ‘Turbulence’ here.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.