Esther & Ruth by Iain M. Duguid

My friend recently gave me a commentary book on Esther and Ruth from the Reformed Expository Commentary Series. I've always loved the books of Esther and Ruth, but the commentator has a way of really bringing the books to life and his closing applications in each chapter are so thought-provoking and applicable to our times and needs. The following book quotes will probably be mostly from the book as I read through it. :)

“…we too struggle with the invisibility of God. The God who can part the Red Sea and raise Jesus from the dead does not choose to exercise that same power very often in our experience. We struggle when the goals and dreams we had for our lives are trampled underfoot by circumstances, even though they were good and godly dreams that God could have easily brought to fruition…We cried out to God, asking what cosmic scheme would be disrupted by answering our prayers, but there was no response. God remained hidden, His will inscrutable. Like the Jews of Esther’s time and the Russian diaspora, we too may find ourselves ‘fiddlers on the roof,’ struggling desperately to keep our balance in a confusing world…Remember that this world is not our home: one day, when Jesus returns, our balancing act on the roof will be over and the true banquet will begin.” Esther, Chapter 1

I never really thought too much about God not being extremely visible in the book of Esther. In the face of the recent tragedy down in the Visayas due to Typhoon Yolanda, this is a very timely reminder. I often expect God to exercise that kind of "Red Sea" power or wonder why the "good and godly" dreams I've had are not brought to fruition. And yet there is a God in Heaven who sees, who hears, and who knows what He is doing and that is a great comfort indeed.