The Sleepless Night
If you’ve ever stared up at the ceiling at 3:00 AM, unable to sleep, you know how frustrating it is. You toss, you turn, you count sheep (or worries). You feel like the night is such a waste. In the Book of Esther, a bout of insomnia changes the fate of the entire world. Chapter 6 opens with one of the most understated sentences in the Bible: "On that night the king could not sleep." (Esther 6:1). It sounds too simple to be important. But if we look closer, we see a chain reaction of "coincidences" that is mathematically impossible to call luck.
The Chain of “Coincidences”
The "boring book" that saved a nation. Proof that God uses mundane things to turn the course of history.
The Insomnia: The King can't sleep.
The Boring Cure: He could have asked for wine, music, or a concubine. Instead, he asks for the dry, dusty Book of Records (the Chronicles) to be read to him.
The Specific Page: The servant 'happens' to open the scroll to an entry from five years ago—the day Mordecai saved the King’s life. This reminds us that God’s 'delays' are actually strategic waits.
The Administrative Error: The King asks, 'What honor was given to Mordecai for this?' The answer: Nothing. (A major mistake in a culture obsessed with debt and honor).
The Timing: At that exact moment, Haman walks into the courtyard to ask for permission to hang Mordecai.
If Haman had arrived 10 minutes earlier, Mordecai might have been dead. If he arrived 10 minutes later, the moment might have passed. But he walked in right as the King was saying, 'I need to honor this man.' When I read this for the first time, it hit me: These aren't accidents. These so-called 'coincidences' prove that God uses the most mundane things—a sleepless night, a boring book, a forgotten deed—to turn the course of history.
I often pray for big, loud miracles. I want the Red Sea to part. I want fire from heaven (I got baptized and told My Chiva that I wanted God to blare trumpets. He said I was being dramatic… which is valid!).
But the Book of Esther teaches us the Theology of Providence. Providence is when God governs the universe not by breaking the laws of nature, but by mastering them. He is the God of the details. He is the God of the "random" encounter. He is the God of the delay.
For the Sleepless
Maybe you are in the middle of your own "Chapter 5"—the part of the story where everything seems to be going wrong. You are waiting for the pivot. Take to heart that God is working in the silence. The delay you are frustrated by (remember, Mordecai waited five years for his reward!) might just be God waiting for the perfect moment to flip the script. Your sleepless night might not be a waste. It might be a workspace!
A Prayer for the Wait
"Lord,
Thank You that You are the Master of Timing. When things seem random or out of control, remind me of the night the King couldn't sleep. Remind me that You are working in the background, connecting the dots in ways I cannot see. I surrender my timeline to You. If I am in a season of waiting, help me to wait well. If I am in a season of 'bad luck,' open my eyes to see Your providence weaving a new story.
I trust that Your pivot point is coming.
Amen."
Reflection Question: Looking back at your life, can you see a moment that felt like a "coincidence" at the time, but turned out to be God directing your path?
Next Up: The Reversal. We watch Haman fall into his own trap and learn why we never need to seek revenge.