The book of Esther is a magical book. Obviously, the entire Bible is supernatural, and the story of God’s goodness laced through every page is mind-blowing, but there’s something extraordinarily magical about the book of Esther. If you approach the book of Esther with your eyes wide open, you’ll discover that there’s something Narnia-like about the story. Even though God is not mentioned in the entire book, His fingerprints and footprints are smeared over every single page and verse. The book of Esther is kind of like a greatly magnified Old Testament version of Romans 8:28. The sovereignty of God and His sovereign activity in our lives is proclaimed in stunning wonder. It is extraordinary how intimately involved the sovereign God is providentially involved in each of our lives to posture us to fulfill our destiny in Him. If you read commentaries about this wonderful little book in the Old Testament, they almost exclusively talk about the unveiling of God’s sovereignty, but there is also a dramatic storyline in the book of Esther about the part that we play through our obedience of faith, and prayers in posturing ourselves to personally and fully participate in our advancing in our destiny and inclusion in God’s broader purposes in the world.
In chapter 4, when Mordechai ordered Esther to approach the king to intervene on behalf of the Jewish population to prevent their annihilation Mordechai told Esther when she was at first reluctant that if she did not approach the king regardless of the risks, God would just choose another way or another person to bring deliverance to His people. The question that I ask is, why does God need us for things to be accomplished? He is so big, powerful, and dominant can’t he just do it on his own? Why does He need our prayers or our obedient availability? The simple answer is because He chooses to. God inherently doesn’t need us but in His graciousness. He invites us to come off of the bench and to participate in the victory. He chooses to include us in the win. It is His joy for us to participate in the joy of partnering with Him in making a difference in the final result of the battles of this fallen world. In Revelation 4, Jesus said to John, “Come up here in the midst of these things, and I will show you what must take place.” Why did God want to show John His sovereign plan. I believe it was because He was inviting John to participate through his prayers in the victory God had planned out. Why do your prayers matter? Why does your obedience of faith matter? Why does what we do posture us to advance in our destiny to be Christlike and to be used more by God in His broader purposes in the world? It is because He wired us to make a difference. It is because in His love He invites us to participate in the victories He has ordained.
Actually, the whole Christian life is magical and lived out in a real Narnia called the kingdom of heaven.