Today's Passage:  Esther 1-2

It seems like there are a lot of moving parts to the beginning of Esther.  You have a queen with a mind of her own...a king who wants what he wants when he wants it...advisors who fear that other women in the kingdom will start acting like the queen...and a banishment.  And that's just chapter 1.  When we get to chapter 2, we learn about Mordecai and his backstory.  We learn that he was one of the exiles and a man of family who is taking care of his cousin.  Esther is very beautiful and taken in by the king's advisors to be considered to be the next queen...so beautiful, in fact, that she stands out so much from the others that she wins the crown.  And don't forget the footnote here...Mordecai is faithful to the king and foils a plot against him.

Again, a lot of moving parts that quite honestly don't seem connected.  Yet every single one of them is necessary for the story we're about to read.  God uses all these moving parts to accomplish something only He can do.  It makes no sense to us, but it makes perfect sense to Him.

The next time you feel like all the parts are moving around you, ask yourself...what is God up to in your life?