Where is God?

Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim.

Purim celebrates the events found in the biblical book of Esther, and specifically, the victory of the Israelites against the wicked plot of Haman to destroy the people of Israel.

I love the story of Esther for many reasons. Let me share a few.

First, it’s a great story. It is full of twists, turns, and ironic reversals. Eventually, I will get around to posting my commentary on Esther at www.gracecommentary.com. Until then, read the story for yourself to see how masterfully the story is told. I’m glad they made a movie of the story (One Night with the King) but the movie does not capture the story as well as the biblical narrative. The book is much better than the movie.

The second thing I love about the book of Esther is that God is never mentioned. Jewish tradition does reveal a few “hints” of God…such as in 5;4, where the first letter of  the Hebrew words for “let the King and Haman come today”  spell the divine name YHWH (7:3 also contains a possible reference. But God is never explicitly referred to. For this reason (and for other reasons), some have argued that the book does not belong in the Bible. But I think exactly the opposite. A careful reading of the story shows that although God is not explicitly mentioned, He is everywhere in the story. I believe that God does not have to be mentioned or talked about for a story to reveal God. This is also the approach I take to music, movies, and art. For the person who is looking, God can be found anywhere and in anything. I love “secular” music, movies, and art because I think they often reveal more about God and the human condition than “Christian” music, movies, and art. God doesn’t have to be mentioned for something to be spiritual. Sometimes, as with the story of Esther, bringing God up can just get in the way of what God is trying to reveal.

Finally, it is valuable and important for every follower of Jesus to go through times in their life when they feel that God has abandoned them. We can be certain that many of the Israelites who went through the events in the story of Esther were asking “Where is God? Why isn’t He acting? Has He forgotten us? Is He punishing us? Is he neglecting us? Has He abandoned us? Why isn’t He being a better Father? I am a better parent to my children than God is to me!” It is only by going through events that cause us to ask these sorts of questions that God can do in us what He wants to do, and get us to where He wants us to be.

This last point has had personal significance for me.

Those of you who know me and have followed my blog know that I went through a period like this for about eighteen months. As a result, I am now in a place I never imagined myself being. Never. But in many ways, it is way better than any other plan I had made for myself. Yet even now, I ask myself almost every day, “Was it worth it? If I was given the choice to stay as I was or to go through what I went through personally and spiritually to get where I am now, what would I choose?”

I’m afraid to say, “Yes, it was worth it” out of fear that God will take me through another period like the one I am only now coming out of. Yet I cannot say “No” for I am certain that I am much better off  now emotionally and spiritually than where I was two years ago.  So my answer is, “Ask me again in ten or twenty years.” 

Like the story of Esther, our lives are a story as well, and we’re all still in the middle of it. And we have yet to see how the pieces of the jigsaw will fit together.