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Today, Pastor Greg Lawry says we can place our confidence in God in good times and especially in

bad. You know, we're going through life and there are times we sense the presence of the Lord,

there are times when we see the hand of God and then there are other times when we don't feel God's

presence and we wonder as God abandoned us and the answer is never. He never has and he never will.

Jesus said I will never leave you or forsake you.

We've all heard the phrase for such a time as this. Today, we begin a study of where it comes from.

Glad you're along for a new beginning today as Pastor Greg Lawry begins a study of courage in

the face of danger and of God's providence when the odds are stacked against us.

A concerns a young woman named Esther who was chosen to be queen, but more importantly,

how God chose her to help bring deliverance to the Jewish people. It's a fascinating study of a

true biblical hero. Grab your Bible and turn to Esther. This is going to be a fantastic series

that I'm really looking forward to sharing with you. It's been an absolute blast to study for.

It's a powerful story, but as you read it, let me take you a quick poll. How many of you have read

the whole book of Esther? Raise your hand up. How many of you have never read it before?

It's okay. I won't mock you. Really? No. Okay, read the book of Esther. You're going to love

the book of Esther. I told the story to my granddaughter, Ali, last night. She said, Papa, tell me a story.

And I sometimes make up stories and sometimes I'll just tell her a Bible story. So I told her the book

of Esther. And then afterwards I said, tell the story back to me. I'm telling you she got the whole story.

And you know why? Because it unfolds almost a little bit like a fairy tale. There's no fairies,

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