Do you know what God’s providence is? God’s providence means that he is in control of everything that happens in life. The Bible tells us that God knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. That means that if a hair would fall from your head, it is because God caused it to fall.

In Esther 6 we see God’s providence very clearly. Everything happened in this story in exactly the way that God made it happen. The king could not sleep. It was God who made sure the king couldn’t sleep, because he was going to work through the king. It was also God who made the king decide to have the book of the records read to him. God made sure he listened to the place in this book that was about Mordecai saving his life four years earlier. It was also God who had made sure that Mordecai wasn’t rewarded for this at that time.

As you keep reading this chapter, you continue to see God’s providence. The king decided that he wanted to reward Mordecai, and then Haman walked in. Haman was just about to ask the king if he could hang Mordecai on the gallows. These things didn’t just happen by accident. It was God who made all these things happen at exactly the right time.

And we continue to see God’s providence in the rest of the chapter, as Haman is made to honour to the very man he wanted to hang on the gallows. God continued to work to protect his people so that Christ could be born. No matter how crafty Haman was, God was still in control.

And so, you too can trust in God’s providence. There is not a single thing that happens in your life that is not in God’s control. You will certainly not always understand why God allows things to happen in your life, but you can trust that he is working in every single thing, and because of his love for you, he is working all things for your eternal good.

Reflection with your child:

What are some things in your life in which you can see God’s providence at work?

Source: Rev. H. Alkema