I read Esther in one sitting as it should be read. Always a great story. Esther contains clear evidence of God’s sovereignty from first to last. Consider the following “coincidences:”

• Queen Vashti is deposed (Esther 1)
• Esther is chosen the new queen (Esther 2.1 – 18)
• Mordecai discovers a plot against the king (Esther 2.19 – 23)
• Esther receives the king’s favor when she starts to work against the threat (Esther 4.1 – 5.8)
• The king can’t sleep and has the book read that credits Mordecai. Haman appears in court at that instant. (Esther 5.9 – 6.11)

(These are snippets of the book: I encourage you to read all of it in one sitting. It takes less than 30 minutes.)

God recently orchestrated two “chance” meetings for June and me:

• We were packing up to leave Mt Elbert Lodge after our week in the mountains. The lady in the next cabin was outside enjoying the scenery. I started talking with her and showed her pictures of the day before when there was a bit of snow on the mountains. June came out, and, to make a long story short, talked with her for over an hour. It turns out the lady had just been diagnosed with a tumor and was understandably upset. June promised to pray for her and when the time was right, be her spiritual director. (The lady is already a believer.) A God-led appointment and conversation.

• The next week, I stopped by the driving range to knock out some golf balls before heading into Colorado Springs for a haircut appointment, CostCo visit to follow. I hadn’t been hitting all that well, and there were about a dozen balls that someone left on the range. I decided after I hit my balls that I would go down and hit those balls – I had time to spare. Just as I hit my last ball, another fellow came to the range and took that position! So, I got in my car and got to the barbershop early, thereby arriving at CostCo earlier than I had planned. In the lobby, I was flagged down by a friend and his wife, and we talked for 20 minutes. I won’t go into detail, but it was a significant conversation. If I had knocked out those additional dozen balls, I would have missed the rendezvous.

In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. (Acts 4.27, 28, NLT)

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (Isaiah 30.21, ESV)