Author: Kevin

Esther is one of the most fascinating books of the Bible. It is one of the two books of the Bible that does not directly mention God. Although God is not directly mentioned, one can clearly see His intervention in the lives of His people.

Esther lived during a time when the Jews were under foreign captivity. She became queen through a series of circumstances. She used her influence to save God’s people from certain destruction. That’s the short version—I would highly encourage you to read the whole story to see all of the events that God weaves together.

Mordecai, Esther’s uncle and adoptive parent, had this to say during a critical point in her life:

“. . . Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”
-Esther 4:14

Mordecai simply encouraged Esther to consider all that God had done to put her in a royal position. He wanted her to see what God was saying through her life situation.

Christian leaders often tell you to focus on God, not on your circumstances (especially when there are hardships). This is true—we are to keep our focus on Him. Sometimes, however, God uses circumstances to speak to us. Truly focusing on God means that we are open to his direction, no matter how He chooses to reveal it.

You may be praying for your finances, for example, and a great job opportunity opens up. As you pray over different options, you may notice that God clearly closes some “doors” and opens others. This is His divine intervention in your life, and at times it can be very clear that He moving you in a certain direction.

This does not mean that the right path is trouble-free. The right path may be rough, but it will be clear. God will work through your circumstances to make sure you understand.

Consider the following passage and think about how wonderful our God is. Our God is a Master Architect who is working through every detail of our lives!

O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.
You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

-Psalm 139:1-6

God speaks to us through His word and through other believers. He also speaks directly to our hearts.

. . . And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.
Colossians 1:27

But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
-1st Corinthians 2:10-12

One of the greatest benefits and mysteries of the Christian life is that Christ lives within our hearts! He does this through the Holy Spirit, who becomes one with our spirit. I wish I could fully explain this, but the Bible itself describes this as a “mystery” (translated “secret” in the NLT). While I can’t fully explain it, I can testify that I have experienced it. Because God lives in our hearts, He speaks to us through an “inner voice.”

This experience is not easy to describe, but I’ll try. When God speaks to our hearts, it often comes in the form of a strong inward desire—we feel compelled deep within to do something (or maybe not to do something). Christians usually say something like, “I feel God leading me to . . .” This is our way of saying that God has spoken to our hearts.

God’s peace is also a major factor in hearing His voice. The Bible promises that God’s peace will be with us when we follow His will (Philippians 4:7). When I am making the right decision, I have a great sense of peace about it.

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.
-John 10:3-5

The Bible describes Christians as sheep who recognize the Great Shepherd’s voice. The longer we know God, the better we are at recognizing His voice. I’ll give you a simple example. If you were to call me on the phone for the first time, you would probably have to identify yourself. Call me a few times a week and I would soon recognize your voice immediately. It kind of works the same way with God. As we grow spiritually we learn to recognize His voice.

I want to give you a word of caution about this “inner voice.” The Bible states that our hearts are deceptive (Jeremiah 17:9). We can be experts at fooling ourselves into thinking something we want is from God. People have done great harm to themselves and God’s work by making bizarre claims about what God supposedly told them. This is why we need God’s word and other believers to help us discern God’s will.