Esther 3:12a, 13b (ESV)

Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written…to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

All of this begins five years after Haman’s promotion. For five years he has been feeling disrespected. For four years he kept it to himself. For ten months he waited for the right time to reveal his plot to the king. When the plot is finally made public, he has twelve months to make preparations for this genocide attempt. The Jews have twelve months to be anxious about this coming event. This was no rush deal. It was a growing animosity that developed into an intentional, well thought out attack on the people of God. What Haman doesn’t know is that twelve years earlier (not twelve months earlier, but twelve years earlier) God already knew it was coming and had made plans to protect his people.

Esther didn’t know God’s plan. Mordecai didn’t know God’s plan. “And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion” (Esther 3:15b ESV). Obviously the Jews didn’t know God’s plan, and the king and Haman had not clue. No one in Susa knew God’s plan. The only ones that seem to be relaxed are the king and Haman. They are the very ones that should be worried. God had a plan, and he had all the pieces in place to accomplish his purpose.

That is not unlike the End Times described in Revelation. Satan seems to have the upper hand. He has a plan to usurp God. What he can’t see, nor can anyone else, is that God has a plan, and all the pieces are in place to accomplish his purpose. Whatever is happening in our world: whether we are entering into the end of time; whether we are in a major culture shift in our world; whether we are facing financial, cultural, moral, or ecological ruin; whatever is happening in our world is not taking God by surprise. He has a plan. We may not see it. It may feel like the whole world is out of control. But God has a plan, and he has all the pieces in place to accomplish his purpose. What an incredibly encouraging book Esther is. It just keeps coming back to this one truth. God can be trusted. We, as believers, are the ones that ought to be able to sit down to a quiet meal while all the world is in confusion because our God reigns.