"I believe in God even when he is silent."

~ found scratched into the wall at a Nazi prison camp.

Throughout history, there have been times when it seemed like God has gone silent. Esther lived at such a time. A terrible and dangerous king named Xerxes ruled the known world. He and Haman laughed when together they decided to exterminate the Jewish people. However, their plan did not succeed. Truth be told Haman hanged himself in an almost satirical turn of events. The God of the universe brought about an incredible salvation through Esther, but never once is God or the Lord named in the book. Still, he's there directing, controlling, and saving. Even when he seems silent, we believe. We believe in the God who comes to us through Jesus, his cross, and his empty tomb. We hope in him against all hope.

In a world where it is increasingly difficult for us to see God as the end nears, in a world where we are faced with difficult choices, in a world that where the rich laugh and the poor remain marginalized, the life of Esther will speak. Into our lives where we can’t see the hand of God at work, where we struggle to hear his voice, and see his plan in our lives, the God of Esther will speak. God does indeed seem to be silent in our lives. God’s does indeed seem to absent from our lives. But the book of Esther will assure that God is indeed not silent nor is he absent. This Sunday, we start into Esther. We keep telling her story all summer. We need to see all God does for his people. God is on the move in our lives, even if we can't see him. More on Sunday (6/30). You won’t want to miss a single Sunday.