I was sitting in my office, studying for the first sermon in our Esther series when I came across a quote that I want to share with you. It sets the stage for the book of Esther, but it also reflects a lot of what I have been talking about in my video devotional series on the life of Joseph (check out our church Facebook or YouTube pages for those). This quote speaks to the reality that God is always at work, even when we can’t see Him. It comes out of the book “Christ-Centred Exposition; Exalting Jesus in Esther” by Landon Dowden.
“Many years ago, I was leading a Disciple Now weekend in Tupelo, Mississippi, when another leader shared an illustration I have never forgotten and have used countless times since. He asked for a volunteer. Once the teenager was at the front of the room, the leader pulled a set of keys from his pocket and told the youth, “No matter what, these keys will always be in front of you.” He then asked the teenager, “Where are the keys?” And the teen responded, “In front of me.” The Leader asked, “How do you know?” The youth answered, “Because I can see them.”
The leader next pulled out a scarf and blindfolded the youth. He began to shake the keys and asked, “Where are the keys?” The student responded, “In front of me.” The leader followed up, “How do you know?” To this the teen said, “I can hear them.”
Next the leader stopped moving the keys and asked, “Where are the keys now?” The student, not being able to see them or hear them, instinctively reached in front of him until he grabbed the keys and said, “They are in front of me.” The leader then asked, “How do you know?” And the student responded, “Because I can feel them.”
In the final phase of his illustration the leader took one step back just out of arm’s reach from the student and asked one final time, “Where are the keys?” The student could not see them, could not hear them, and as he reached out frantically in front of him and grasped nothing but air, he could not feel them. He leader asked again, “Where are the keys?” While still trying to find the keys, the student’s new response was, “I don’t know.” The leader then asked, “Where did I tell you the keys would always be?” The youth answered, “In front of me.” So the leader followed up with. “So, where do you think the keys are?” The frustrated teen responded, “I guess in front of me!”
The leader then had the student remove his blindfold, and when he knew the student could see the keys just out of arm’s reach but still in front of him, he leader asked, “So, where are the keys?” The teen responded, “In front of me.” The leader then explained all the mystery around the keys, the blindfold and the questions: “There are times in our lives where we do not see God. There are times in our lives where we do not hear God. There are times in our lives when we do not feel God. But He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Our trust in His presence is not based on our feelings but on his faithfulness.”
This quote shows something that I feel like I’ve read and said a lot lately, but it reflects a truth that we often need to hear – God continues to be at work, working things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His own good purposes (Romans 8:28), even when we don’t see, hear, or feel Him. His promise to do so is what enables us to know it’s true.
I’m excited to dive into Esther this coming Sunday, I hope it will be a blessing to you! Have a great week!