God Controls Our Circumstances

In the book of Esther, we read of how God rescued the Jews from being slaughtered as a race. But it is amazing to see how God did it - through one small incident - that the king could not sleep one night. Haman and his wife had been plotting one night to get the king's permission to hang Mordecai on a gallows the next morning, as a prelude to destroying all the Jews. But while Haman and his wife were making their wicked plans, God was working on behalf of Mordecai too. "The Keeper of Israel never slumbers or sleeps."(Psa.121:4). God prevented the king from sleeping that night, "During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king."(Esth.6:1). The king listened to his nation's history for many hours, until the day began to break. Then the reading came to the place where it was recorded that Mordecai had once saved the king from being assassinated. The king asked his servants what honour had been bestowed on Mordecai for this, and they replied that nothing had been done.

God's timing of events was again perfect. At that very moment Haman walked in, planning to ask the king for permission to hang Modecai. Before Haman could open his mouth, the king asked Haman what he thought could be done for one whom the king desired to honour. Haman, conceited man that he was, thought that the king was referring to him, and so suggested a great parade of honour for such a man. "Go and do that for Mordecai, quickly," the king said. How wonderfully our God can turn the tables on Satan. Haman finally hung on the very same gallows that he had made for Mordecai. As the Bible says, "He who digs a pit (for another) will fall into it (himself). And he who rolls a stone (at another) will find the stone rolling back (to crush him)" (Prov. 26:27). Haman, in this story, is a type of Satan who is always planning some evil against us. God won't stop him, because God has a far better plan. He wants to turn the tables on Satan. The pit that the Devil digs for us will be the one that he himself falls into finally. Zephaniah 3:17 says (in one translation) that God is silently planning for us in love, all the time.

While Mordecai was sleeping peacefully that night, quite ignorant of all the wicked plans that Haman and his wife were making against him, God was also planning to protect Mordecai. So Mordecai could have slept just as peacefully, even if he had known of Haman's wicked plans. Why not? If God was on his side, who could be against him? We too can sleep peacefully each night, irrespective of what people or demons may be trying to do to us - if we believe in the total sovereignty of God over everything and everyone. Once we have seen the sovereignty of God, we will stop blaming people for anything. We'll no longer be afraid of Satan, fearing that he might harm us in some way. We won't be afraid of sickness or disease or anything else in this world.