Did you know that God's name is never mentioned in the book of Esther?

But we can see his obvious handprints marking every page of Esther's story.

Today, on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindall continues his study of this fascinating Old Testament heroine.

In this next portion of our study, we'll discover that although God's name isn't identified,

he's quietly orchestrating events, people, and circumstances to clearly illustrate his control.

Maybe you're struggling to see God's hand in your life story right now.

Chuck titled this reassuring message, God's surprising sovereignty.

I've never met a person who didn't feel pity for Job.

I mean, here was a man godly in heart and righteous in life and lifestyle,

who had his entire world crash in on top of him for no apparent reason.

And the pain became unbearable. And all because of satanic cruelty and God's strange

allowing of it to happen, the man became like a tiny wounded mouse in the paws of a big cat, almost played with.

And the hardest part of it all was not the pain, that was bad enough, but it was this mysterious

sense of God's silence which played out in Job's life as God's absence.

It occurred to me that it must have been like swimming on a vast lake and getting about

100, 150 yards offshore toward dusk, and suddenly a freak fog rolls in over the lake and surrounds

you.

And you're trapped in this tiny circle of sight.

But the fog has diffused light, so you can't even tell where the sun is going down,

and you begin to swim. You think toward

the shore, but you're not sure. And then you turn, and you panic and swim in another direction,

and you, again, have lost your orientation.

...