Happenchance, Coincidence, or Sovereignty?

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Posted by Karen Kinnaird, August 6, 2024

Who doesn’t love drama, romance, power and intrigue? All these elements are in the book of Esther. We read that the lives of the Jews are in danger due to the conspiracy of an evil Haman – the second in command to the king. Ultimately, because of Queen Esther’s courageous act, the nation of Israel is saved. 

One of the mega themes of the book of Esther is God’s sovereignty and providence. Sovereignty meaning His power and authority. Providence meaning His intervention in our affairs. God has a 2-fold purpose in this – His glory and our good – always in harmony with each other. In the world we live in, who doesn’t need a reminder that God is in control? 

In the book of Esther, God’s hand is all over ordinary circumstances to orchestrate events that will accomplish His will. But it’s chapter 6 that is the pivotal chapter in the book. Was it a coincidence that King Xerxes could not sleep that night? Was it a coincidence that he asked for the record of his reign to be brought to him? Was it a coincidence that he learned about a previous assassination attempt that was revealed by Mordecai? Was it a coincidence that Mordecai was not rewarded at that time for saving the king’s life? Was it a coincidence that Haman appeared to the king to request the hanging of Mordecai at the very time Xerxes commanded Haman to lead out in honoring Mordecai? Was it a coincidence that Esther was chosen to be queen in the first place?

No! These aren’t coincidences; they did not happen by chance – they are the result of God’s grand design over the course of people’s lives and the affairs of a nation. In the end, not only were God’s people saved, but the tables were turned, placing Mordecai as second in command.

God’s hand is all over OUR ordinary circumstances and OUR country to orchestrate events that will accomplish His will, too! God is always working in our lives - often quietly and patiently - for both His glory and our good.  Even willful, poor choices, mistakes and failures of people are under His sovereign control.

In a mysterious way God accomplishes His purposes even without violating man’s free will.

In the book Trusting God, Jerry Bridges writes, “No one can act outside of God’s sovereign will or against it…nothing is too large or small to escape God’s governing hand. The spider building its web in the corner and Napoleon marching his army across Europe are both under God’s control.”

God has a plan; He has a plan for you. He has a plan for us.

He has a purpose to the plan and He has the power to carry out that plan. Even in the worst tragedies or when things don’t make any sense, God is working. Even when it seems like nothing is happening or there’s a season of waiting, God is at work!

Since He is sovereign, infinitely wise and perfectly good, He can be trusted. God has not forgotten you. He has not forgotten us. His timing is perfect. Isaiah 46 says, “I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will. Look back and remember what He has done. Look ahead and trust Him.

Karen Kinnaird brings the vast experience of having served as a ministry wife for nearly 38 years. Her husband has served as a church planter, senior pastor, state denominational leader, agency specialist at NAMB, and Associational Missionary Strategist. Karen currently serves as the Executive Assistant for Forgiving Forward, a ministry dedicated to helping people experience the freedom of the Gospel through the power of forgiveness. Karen and Jimmy, also known as Gigi and Poppy, have 3 children and 3 grandchildren.