Mike Sirignano: Thank you.
Mike Sirignano: I love you too.
Mike Sirignano: Alright, wow, where'd y'all come from?
Mike Sirignano: Good evening, brothers and sisters, and welcome to the next episode in the Route 66 series.
Mike Sirignano: Tonight we're going to be looking at the Book of Esther, and it is an honor and a privilege to serve the Lord in this manner.
Mike Sirignano: But before we get started, let's pray.
Mike Sirignano: Heavenly Father, we thank you.
Mike Sirignano: We thank you for your word, which is a lamp for our feet and a light on our path.
Mike Sirignano: We thank you for the rich lessons we will learn tonight as we study this book, that it may help us to examine our hearts and to lead us to a greater relationship with you, and we pray this in the name of your precious son, amen.
Mike Sirignano: The book of Esther takes place during the Persian Empire.
Mike Sirignano: Now the authorship is unknown, although whoever wrote Esther had a knowledge of Persian customs and history and would have been familiar with the king's palace.
Mike Sirignano: The story of Esther specifically covers the time period of 483 to 473 BC.
Mike Sirignano: Now, because the author is unknown, it is difficult to determine when it was actually written.
Mike Sirignano: Determine when it was actually written it could have been as early as 450 BC or as late as 331 BC, when the Persian reign came to an end.
Mike Sirignano: It probably is one of the last books written in the Old Testament.
Mike Sirignano: When people think of the book of Esther, the first thing they ask is why is God not mentioned in the text?
Mike Sirignano: Now, esther is one of only two books in the Bible that make no reference to God, the other being the Song of Solomon.
Mike Sirignano: Now, it does not mean that he's not in it.
Mike Sirignano: In fact, his hands are all over the story.
Mike Sirignano: Another question that is asked is since God is not in it, why is it even in the Bible at all?
Mike Sirignano: Now, the canonicity of Esther has been debated for centuries and the evidence against it is strong.
Mike Sirignano: The historical arguments against it include the absence of any physical evidence, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and Melito's Canon, and the absence of any records for most of the characters outside of the Bible.
Mike Sirignano: Theological arguments against it include the absence of God in the text, no mention of the Old Testament law and the absence of any reference to the book in the New Testament.
Mike Sirignano: Now, on the flip side, there are strong arguments to consider the book authentic.
Mike Sirignano: Although the author is unknown, the events in the book give us reason to believe he was a Jew.
Mike Sirignano: Now, the Jews regarded all of their books as holy and accurate and for the book to be viewed as scripture meant that it met both definitions and, for me, the most compelling argument that Esther being in the canon is that it is actually there.
Mike Sirignano: Who is the author of the Bible?
Mike Sirignano: It's the Holy Spirit.
Mike Sirignano: Would God have allowed this book to be included if it was not inspired by the Holy Spirit?
Mike Sirignano: I think not.
Mike Sirignano: Now, another interesting fact about the book of Esther is that it is part of the Megillah, or five scrolls.
Mike Sirignano: Now, rabbis read these books in the synagogue during specific festivals, with Esther being read at the festival of Purim.
Mike Sirignano: The celebration of Purim and the reading of Esther takes on a carnival-like atmosphere, with people dressed in costumes and lots of shouting and audience participation.
Mike Sirignano: The Book of Esther has been described as a Jewish novella, which is a Spanish word to describe a soap opera or a drama, and we'll explore the Festival of Purim in more detail later in our discussion.
Mike Sirignano: As we go through the book, we're going to weave our way through a series of twists and turns, almost like a chess match.
Mike Sirignano: Just when we think the plot goes one way, it turns and goes another.
Mike Sirignano: But despite its literary form, there are biblical lessons to be learned from this book.
Mike Sirignano: So, as the chain of events unfold, we'll unpack these lessons and see how God shows up in the book.
Mike Sirignano: It makes for a good story and, like any good story, there are a cast of characters.
Mike Sirignano: We're going to start with the king and ruler of the Persian Empire.
Mike Sirignano: His name was Xerxes and he came to power in 486 BC.
Mike Sirignano: He was the son of Darius and the grandson of Cyrus, who we know from the book of Daniel as the leader of the Medes and the Persians that conquered Babylon.
Mike Sirignano: Some translations use his Hebrew name, ahasuerus, but for the purpose of tonight's talk, we will refer to him simply as Xerxes.
Mike Sirignano: Now, at the time, the Persian Empire stretched as far as India to the east, turkey to the west and Egypt to the south.
Mike Sirignano: It covered 20 regions and 127 provinces, each with its own governor, and what we now know as Israel was right in the middle of it.
Mike Sirignano: The story of Esther takes place in the city of Susa, which was the administrative capital of the Persian Empire.
Mike Sirignano: Today, that location would be in western Iran, near the border of Iraq and just north of the Persian Gulf.
Mike Sirignano: So, as we pick up the story, xerxes has been in power for three years and, despite his vast kingdom, his quest for power had his eyes on Greece.
Mike Sirignano: So he called all his nobles officials and military leaders to the city for a six-month conference, as he planned his invasion of Greece.
Mike Sirignano: At the conclusion of this conference, there was a seven-day banquet at the king's palace, where all his wealth and splendor was on display.
Mike Sirignano: His wife, Queen Vashti, gave a banquet for the women at the same time.
Mike Sirignano: So let's look at chapter 1 and verses 10 to 12.
Mike Sirignano: It says On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good from the wine, xerxes commanded the seven eunuchs who personally served him to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown.
Mike Sirignano: He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials because she was very beautiful, but Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command, and that was delivered by his eunuchs.
Mike Sirignano: The king became furious and his anger burned within him.
Mike Sirignano: Now Xerxes consulted with his officials and their advice to him was to demote Vashti on the basis of insubordination.
Mike Sirignano: Their fear was that if the queen can get away with disobedience to the king, that all the women in the kingdom would be empowered to do the same.
Mike Sirignano: Now Xerxes liked that idea and the decree was passed that she would never be in his presence again.
Mike Sirignano: This is where God makes his first appearance.
Mike Sirignano: Here is an example of God using evil for good, even though it is not apparent at the time.
Mike Sirignano: He uses a pagan king and a wicked council to make a decision that will alter the course of human history.
Mike Sirignano: The officials had their own agenda.
Mike Sirignano: Their motives were selfish, the king was easily swayed and bound by emotion.
Mike Sirignano: And here is our first biblical lesson that God wants to teach us when there is a decision to make, seek the counsel of God and not the advice of man.
Mike Sirignano: Could you imagine how a government would run if the leader truly sought God's wisdom?
Mike Sirignano: James, chapter 1 and verse 5, clearly tells us now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given to him.
Mike Sirignano: The counsel of God is his word, his instruction is our best course of action, and he wants us to seek it, amen.
Mike Sirignano: As we move on to chapter 2, there is a three to four year period which is not accounted for in the Bible.
Mike Sirignano: It was during this time that Xerxes fought a two-year campaign to take over Greece, and even with 250,000 soldiers, the invasion failed and he retreated back to Susa.
Mike Sirignano: Now that he was back in his palace, xerxes began to feel lonely and a search for a new queen was proposed.
Mike Sirignano: So the king appointed commissioners to bring the most beautiful young virgins from their territory and place them into the king's harem.
Mike Sirignano: There were 400 women in total from the 20 regions and 127 provinces.
Mike Sirignano: At this time we are introduced to the two main characters in their story, two Jewish cousins that lived in the city of Susa.
Mike Sirignano: They are descendants of the original Jewish exiles that were taken by Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonian captivity.
Mike Sirignano: The older of the two is a man named Mordecai, and he is roughly 15 years older than his younger cousin, an orphan, named Esther, who was likely a teenager.
Mike Sirignano: Chapter 2 and verse 7 says Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah, that is, esther, because she had no father or mother.
Mike Sirignano: The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking.
Mike Sirignano: When her father and mother died, mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
Mike Sirignano: Now, the fact that Scripture describes her in this way is a telling point.
Mike Sirignano: She was noticed by the king's officials based only on her looks, so she was collected as part of the group that went into the king's harem for an intensive year-long training and at the end of the 12 months, each of these 400 women would have one opportunity to make an impression on the king to be selected as queen.
Mike Sirignano: The day after being presented, each of the women would go back into the pool of waiting ladies, other concubines and members of the royal harem until the king had worked his way through the 400 and made his choice.
Mike Sirignano: Now, once Esther completed the year-long order, it was her turn to appear before Xerxes.
Mike Sirignano: Verse 17 says the king is chosen to be the queen.
Mike Sirignano: She has gone from being an obscure Jewish orphan girl to being the queen, and it is all driven by her physical beauty and her charm.
Mike Sirignano: But she kept the fact that she was Jewish a secret.
Mike Sirignano: Now, because of her newfound fame, her uncle Mordecai was given a job in the palace and because of this special access he is able to overhear two of the royal officials plot to assassinate the king.
Mike Sirignano: He reported this to Esther, who in turn told the king.
Mike Sirignano: Well, the king was quite furious about that and the two officials were executed by hanging.
Mike Sirignano: And all of this was recorded in the Book of Chronicles in the presence of the king.
Mike Sirignano: And all of this was recorded in the book of Chronicles in the presence of the king.
Mike Sirignano: So let's file that away in our memory as we go to chapter 3, where we meet our next character, a man named Haman, the Agagite, who was honored and elevated above all the other royal officials.
Mike Sirignano: All in the kingdom were required to kneel down and pay him honor, and all did, except Mordecai.
Mike Sirignano: Apparently there was a long, smoldering feud between the Agagites and the Jews, dating back almost a thousand years.
Mike Sirignano: That feud was not forgotten by either side, hence the disobedience of Mordecai.
Mike Sirignano: This enraged Haman to the point of wanting to kill Mordecai, and he was so angry that he wanted to kill all the Jews across the Persian Empire.
Mike Sirignano: So he went to King Xerxes with a plan to wipe out the Jewish race and to plunder the spoils of the people.
Mike Sirignano: The king agreed and he made a decree.
Mike Sirignano: Lots were cast and on a day, 11 months ahead, the king would release the people from the provinces to attack the Jews and kill all of them.
Mike Sirignano: So the decree was spread throughout the empire that on the 13th day of the 12th month that the people were ordered to annihilate all the Jews, young and old, male, female and children.
Mike Sirignano: So here is the second lesson that God is trying to teach us.
Mike Sirignano: He shows us how anger can lead to murder.
Mike Sirignano: How much anger could a person have In a day where murder was commonplace?
Mike Sirignano: Haman could have killed Mordecai right on the spot and it would have been forgotten quickly.
Mike Sirignano: But his fury was so great that he wanted all the Jews killed.
Mike Sirignano: You could say he was the Old Testament version of Adolf Hitler.
Mike Sirignano: In Ecclesiastes, chapter 7 and verse 9, solomon warns us about anger, he says.
Mike Sirignano: He says don't let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.
Mike Sirignano: And, as we'll see later, the murder of the entire Jewish race was never in God's plan.
Mike Sirignano: Haman's anger would prove him to be a fool.
Mike Sirignano: Moving on to chapter 4, we find Mordecai weeping bitterly about the decree.
Mike Sirignano: When the news reached Esther, she reached out to Mordecai and he sent her a copy of the decree telling her to go to the king and plead with him for mercy.
Mike Sirignano: And this brings us to the defining moment in the book, as the fate of the Jewish race was at stake.
Mike Sirignano: But Esther was afraid, and with good reason.
Mike Sirignano: The law condemned to death anyone who approached the king without being summoned, even the queen.
Mike Sirignano: Her response to Mordecai was this, in chapter 4 and verse 11.
Mike Sirignano: All the royal officials and the people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been summoned the death penalty unless the king extends the gold scepter allowing that person to live.
Mike Sirignano: I have not been summoned to appear before the king for the last 30 days Now.
Mike Sirignano: Mordecai replied in verses 13 and 14.
Mike Sirignano: Mordecai told the Messer to reply to Esther don't think you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the king's palace.
Mike Sirignano: If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people.
Mike Sirignano: Now here is God showing up again.
Mike Sirignano: Mordecai seems biblically sound.
Mike Sirignano: He knows from Scripture that the Jewish race will be preserved, because God says it numerous times in the Old Testament, and he seems right that Esther was chosen for this moment.
Mike Sirignano: But chosen by who?
Mike Sirignano: Because it could only be God who arranged for her to be queen.
Mike Sirignano: Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai in verse 16.
Mike Sirignano: Go and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me.
Mike Sirignano: Don't eat or drink for three days, night or day.
Mike Sirignano: I and my female servants will also fast in the same way.
Mike Sirignano: After that, I will go to the king, even if it is against the law.
Mike Sirignano: If I perish, I perish to the king.
Mike Sirignano: Even if it is against the law, if I perish, I perish.
Mike Sirignano: So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions.
Mike Sirignano: So it says that Esther and her servants fast for three days.
Mike Sirignano: Now, before we continue, it says they fasted.
Mike Sirignano: It does not mention prayer.
Mike Sirignano: Now, in the Bible, prayer is commonly mentioned when people fast, but not here.
Mike Sirignano: Some people say that prayer is implied, but there is nothing in the book of Esther that gives me confidence about that.
Mike Sirignano: If they fasted and prayed, I believe that the Bible would say that, but it does not.
Mike Sirignano: In fact, esther appears ready to save her own life at the expense of her people and acts only after realizing that she too would be destroyed.
Mike Sirignano: Anyway, after the third day, esther put on her royal robe and entered the king's court.
Mike Sirignano: Her fate hinged on the mood of the Persian ruler, but the king was pleased with her and, judging by his track record, it was nothing more than her beauty that got his attention.
Mike Sirignano: He offers her the gold scepter and asks her what is her request?
Mike Sirignano: Anything up to half the kingdom.
Mike Sirignano: Now don't think for a minute that if she requested half the kingdom, that he would have given it to her.
Mike Sirignano: That's just foolish ruler talk.
Mike Sirignano: But she makes it easy for him, inviting him and Haman to a private banquet that afternoon.
Mike Sirignano: The king was delighted and granted her petition.
Mike Sirignano: At the banquet, the king again asks her what her request is, offering her half the kingdom.
Mike Sirignano: And Esther replies in chapter 5 and verse 8, if the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them.
Mike Sirignano: Then I will answer the king's question.
Mike Sirignano: Now, this might seem odd to most, but to the king another banquet was a great way to spend the day.
Mike Sirignano: And as for the egotistical Haman, to be the only guest with the king and the queen only puffed him up even more.
Mike Sirignano: So Haman exits the king's court reveling in his good fortune.
Mike Sirignano: And who does he see at the gate?
Mike Sirignano: Mordecai.
Mike Sirignano: And once again, mordecai neither rose nor showed him honor, and Haman was enraged.
Mike Sirignano: Nevertheless, he restrains himself, he goes home, but despite all his good fortune, he can't get over the fact that Mordecai refuses to honor him.
Mike Sirignano: In Job, chapter 5 and verse 2,.
Mike Sirignano: Scripture states for anger slays the foolish man and jealousy kills the simple.
Mike Sirignano: Again, god is warning us about the dangers of anger.
Mike Sirignano: Haman seems to have no desire for this wisdom.
Mike Sirignano: So his wife comes up with this great idea have a pole set up 50 cubits high and then ask the king to have Mordecai impaled on it.
Mike Sirignano: Then go enjoy yourself at the banquet.
Mike Sirignano: It seemed like a great solution.
Mike Sirignano: So Haman slept soundly that night.
Mike Sirignano: But back at the castle the king had a terrible night's sleep.
Mike Sirignano: So what do we do sometimes when we can't sleep?
Mike Sirignano: We read a book.
Mike Sirignano: But when you're a king, you don't have to read.
Mike Sirignano: You can have someone read to you, and, for whatever reason, the chosen book was the royal records of his reign, the book of Chronicles, mentioned back in chapter 2.
Mike Sirignano: And what was recorded there?
Mike Sirignano: The account of Mordecai saving the king's life from an assassination plot.
Mike Sirignano: It was discovered that nothing had been done for Mordecai, and the king wanted to rectify that.
Mike Sirignano: So now this is where the story gets fun, and God is about to turn things in his favor.
Mike Sirignano: Morning came and Haman showed up to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up, and at the same time, the king is looking for advice on how to honor Mordecai for his service.
Mike Sirignano: Now, I don't know about you, but I'm waiting to see how this conversation goes.
Mike Sirignano: So the king says to Haman what shall be done for the man the king delights to honor?
Mike Sirignano: Now Haman is thinking that must be for me.
Mike Sirignano: So he forgets about Mordecai and instead figures out how to honor himself.
Mike Sirignano: And here is a third lesson that God teaches us, and that is about the sin of pride and the sin of blowing your nose.
Mike Sirignano: Proverbs 16 and verse 18 is the perfect verse for this situation and it is advice for all of us to take heed of.
Mike Sirignano: It says Pride and arrogance, along with intense anger.
Mike Sirignano: It's about to get interesting for our friend Haman, but he doesn't quite know that yet.
Mike Sirignano: So, in thinking that it is he that the king wants to honor, he comes up with an elaborate celebration for himself.
Mike Sirignano: In chapter 6 and verse 9, haman says let them robe the man the king delights to honor and lead him on a horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him this is what is done for the man the king delights to honor.
Mike Sirignano: So let's see a royal robe.
Mike Sirignano: The king has worn a royal horse that the king has ridden a noble prince to lead him around through the streets.
Mike Sirignano: What a fitting honor.
Mike Sirignano: The king is in high agreement.
Mike Sirignano: Here he is still taking counsel from man.
Mike Sirignano: But again, god uses evil for good.
Mike Sirignano: So the king exclaims Go at once and do what you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew and don't neglect anything you have suggested.
Mike Sirignano: So Haman himself had to put the robe on Mordecai and lead the parade around the city proclaiming the very words he thought were for himself.
Mike Sirignano: What a turn of events.
Mike Sirignano: And it was still just the morning.
Mike Sirignano: Now, after the parade, mordecai returned to the king's gate and Haman went home in shame.
Mike Sirignano: His wife, who until this point had been giving him some bad advice, reminds him that if the king is honoring Mordecai a Jew and you are looking to wipe out the entire Jewish race, you will surely come to ruin.
Mike Sirignano: But it was time for the banquet, and at that moment the king's eunuchs arrived to escort Haman to the palace.
Mike Sirignano: At the banquet, the king again asked Esther for a third time what her petition was up to half the kingdom.
Mike Sirignano: And now was the moment of truth.
Mike Sirignano: In chapter 7, verses 3 and 4, queen Esther finally answered If I have found favor with you, your majesty and, if it pleases you, grant me my life.
Mike Sirignano: This is my petition and spare my people.
Mike Sirignano: This is my request, for I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated.
Mike Sirignano: Now the king was furious that someone would threaten the queen.
Mike Sirignano: Who is this and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?
Mike Sirignano: When Esther pointed out that it was Haman, the king left the table in a rage.
Mike Sirignano: The Bible says he was so angry that he even left his wine.
Mike Sirignano: Now Haman knew he was in trouble and he fell at the feet of the queen begging for mercy.
Mike Sirignano: When the king returned, he perceived this as another threat and he became more enraged when his officials informed him that Haman had set up a pole to execute Mordecai.
Mike Sirignano: The king ordered that Haman be impaled on that very pole.
Mike Sirignano: It was only then that his fury subsided.
Mike Sirignano: As we move to chapter 8, the king gave Haman's estate to Esther.
Mike Sirignano: It is now finally revealed to the king that his queen was a Jew and that Mordecai was her cousin.
Mike Sirignano: But the execution of Haman didn't solve the dilemma.
Mike Sirignano: What of the edict in chapter 3 to wipe out the Jews?
Mike Sirignano: Persian law dictated that no decree signed by the king could be revoked, but it was suggested that a counter decree could be written At once.
Mike Sirignano: The king drafted a new decree, so in chapter 8 and verse 13, the king's edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves, to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and their children, and to plunder the property of their enemies.
Mike Sirignano: The city of Susa held a joyous celebration.
Mike Sirignano: Things had turned in favor of the Jews and many people now lived in fear of them because of the king's new edict.
Mike Sirignano: And on the 13th day of the 12th month, the month of Adah, the king's original edict was scheduled to be carried out.
Mike Sirignano: But the enemies of the Jews were overpowered and struck down by the sword.
Mike Sirignano: Over 500 men in the city of Susa alone were killed, including the ten sons of Haman, but the Jews did not plunder the spoils of their enemies.
Mike Sirignano: In the rest of the provinces.
Mike Sirignano: It was estimated that over 75,000 enemies of the Jews were killed.
Mike Sirignano: Again, they never laid a hand on the plunder.
Mike Sirignano: The king asked Esther if she had any other requests, and she asked for an additional day to carry out their defense in the city of Susa and also that Haman's ten sons be impaled.
Mike Sirignano: So the king issued another decree and on the following day another 300 men were killed in Susa and Haman's ten sons were impaled on poles.
Mike Sirignano: After the events, on the 13th and the 14th, the Jews rested, and on the 15th of Adah and made it a day of joy and feasting.
Mike Sirignano: Mordecai recorded these events and sent them to the Jews through the provinces so that they could celebrate this event annually, and that event continues to the present day.
Mike Sirignano: On the days of Purim, chapter 9 and verse 28 says these days should be remembered and observed in every generation and by every family and in every province and in every city, and these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews.
Mike Sirignano: Nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.
Mike Sirignano: Should the memory of these days die out among their descendants?
Mike Sirignano: Now, long after the king's edict was carried out, mordecai and Esther continued to flourish in the royal house.
Mike Sirignano: The king exalted Mordecai to second in command and Esther continued to be his queen.
Mike Sirignano: Against all odds, esther, mordecai and the Jews had been spared.
Mike Sirignano: Not only spared, but elevated.
Mike Sirignano: So as the story comes to a close, we try to answer the question of why God is not mentioned in the book.
Mike Sirignano: Now, it is possible that God's absence is intentional.
Mike Sirignano: The story of Esther is worldly and, as it is written, the characters show no signs of looking to or trusting in God.
Mike Sirignano: There is no mention of the law of Moses or anything pertaining to Jewish life and Jewish customs.
Mike Sirignano: Perhaps the writer seeks to draw out God's divine purpose in everyday life, and he does a good job of that.
Mike Sirignano: In addition, there are no miracles in Esther, but the whole book is a miracle of divine providence.
Mike Sirignano: Think about it.
Mike Sirignano: His providence is everywhere.
Mike Sirignano: Every single detail was orchestrated by God.
Mike Sirignano: The characters were like puppets in his hands.
Mike Sirignano: How is it that out of 25 million women across the Persian Empire, esther, who was a Jew, would be chosen queen?
Mike Sirignano: How is it that Mordecai, another Jew, would be at such a time and place in the palace to overhear a plot to assassinate the king and be able to warn him?
Mike Sirignano: How is it that a king who can't sleep and wants to read is given the royal records and, out of the many records, is reminded of an unrewarded servant from the plot of his assassination?
Mike Sirignano: And how is it that an evil Haman who sought to exterminate the Jewish race would try to kill Mordecai on the very next morning, only to have the tables turned on him.
Mike Sirignano: The invisible hand of God is everywhere.
Mike Sirignano: God has demonstrated numerous times throughout history that Israel will never cease to be a nation.
Mike Sirignano: No one could destroy the people of God, no one could stop the coming of Christ and no one can thwart the salvation of Israel.
Mike Sirignano: People have tried and will continue to try, but they cannot succeed.
Mike Sirignano: And how is it for us in the present day, living in a world that is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah?
Mike Sirignano: Well, that same God who orchestrated every detail in the book of Esther is ordaining every bit of our lives, accomplishing his perfect will.
Mike Sirignano: And if you belong to him, you can have confidence that he is working out every detail for our good and for his glory.
Mike Sirignano: Let's pray, heavenly Father, what a blessing it is that you are in control of our lives and we are not.
Mike Sirignano: We thank you, lord, for working out everything according to the purpose of your will, which you set forth in Christ, and we thank you that your invisible hand is everywhere, and we pray this in Jesus' precious name, amen.