Remember that although the "name" of God is absent from the Book of Esther, the "activity" of God is seen on every page. As we have learned in our previous studies in the lives of Joseph and Ruth, the providence of God often grows in wicked, broken soil.

William Cowper, after many failed attempts at suicide, met John Newton and became good friends. Later he would write:

"God moves in a a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in a sea, and rides upon the storm. deep in unfathomable mines, of never-failing skill; He treasures up His bright design, and works His sovereign will. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust Him for His grace, behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face."

We will see a "smiling face" through every twist and turn of Esther's story!