How the Hand of God Moves
May 20-21, 2023
The name of the book is named after the hero of the story, Esther, who is used by God to save her people from disaster. Israel, in the story, finds themselves on the very precipice of destruction. Literally, the complete annihilation of the Jews is planned in this book. Very, very important book, by the way. To Jews all over the world. This is a very important book, and it's celebrated every year in the feast of Purim.
Now, if you have any Jewish friends, you might know that Purim is a huge thing every single year. It's one of the great holidays and is one of the most festive of the holidays because they are, of course, celebrating the victory that God moved in their behalf to save Israel. The story, of course, unfolds in the Book of Esther. The word Purim is a Persian word, and it means lots. It comes from a part of the story where the mortal enemy of Israel, who's plotting against them to determine the day on which Jews all over the world would be annihilated, he cast lots to determine the day.
They use the word Purim to describe the casting of the lots. Very festive, as I mentioned. When they celebrate Purim, they read the Book of Esther in the evening and then again in the morning. Then as they're reading the story, usually the father of the house will read the story and whenever the name of their mortal enemy is mentioned in the story, then all of the children have noisemakers. Every time, Haman is his name, every time Haman is mentioned, everybody starts shaking the noisemakers and hissing that evil Haman.
It's a great way of reading the story. The children, they dress up with costumes. It's really a big thing every year. Of course, they have a very festive holiday meal, huge eating, of course, and everyone gives gifts. They will make pastries, usually triangular-shaped pastries that have inside of them a hidden filling. It represents the fact that though God's name is not mentioned, it is the hidden moving of God that is really the story of Esther. It's the hand of God that moves.
Then they give gifts to their neighbors, and then they give gifts of money or food or drinks to the poor. Everyone must give gifts to at least two people that are needy on Purim or the days leading up to Purim. The day before Purim is called the fast of Esther. It commemorates how Esther and the entire Jewish community fasted for three days before Esther approached the king of Persia to intercede. You'll hear that in the story. They fast the day before that.
In many ways, the story of Esther really is the story of how the hand of God moves. How the hand of God moves in nations, but also through the events of everyday lives and the history of nations is turned by the events of individual lives. I know that God is still moving in the events of our lives, that God's hand is moving in power, and that that's part of the story.
Now, although, of course, the book is about Esther in other words, what I'm saying is that God is the main character in the story. Interestingly, however, the name of God is not mentioned in the book. There's no mention of God's name anywhere or reference to Him anywhere. I submit He is the main character in the story, for it is irrefutable in the story that it's about how the hand of God moves, how He moves in nations, and how He moves upon the details of life in saving His people, Israel.
When you see that, when you see how the hand of God moves in nations but in lives, then your own faith is strengthened. God's power is on full display here in this story. Also, spiritual warfare is also part of the story, as we are going to see as we read that. We need spiritual discernment to understand the spiritual warfare that is part of our world today, for we are seeing the shifting of nations in our world today.
The hand of God, we must understand, is still moving in the nations of the world. The prophecy of Scripture comes fully to bear in the story of Esther, as we will see. Now, the story takes place in Persia, the capital of Persia, or Susa, modern-day Iran, and during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. It's well suited here in the Bible. Remember that Babylon defeated Israel, exiled them to Babylon for those 70 years.
This takes place immediately after those days for Persia then defeated Babylon. The story begins in chapter one by declaring the expanse and power of the Persian empire in those days. It stretched all the way from Ethiopia in North Africa, all the way to India. Most of the known world was dominated by Persia in those days, 127 provinces, it says.
Leaders in Iran today long for their days of such power. They remember this. They read the stories of when Persia was that great world power, and they long for their day to be that world power. As part of the story unfolds, a harboring of great resentment against Israel is still a part of the culture of Iran today. There is still a deep hatred for Israel. Iran is on the move, trying to build coalitions of nations and provinces for the very purpose of destroying Israel, which is an important part of prophecy of Scripture.
Now, we know the history of this king. This king is mentioned here many times in the story. We know a lot about him. In the Bible, he's called Ahasuerus. In history, he's also known as Xerxes, son of Darius I. Now, we know a lot about his father Darius also, because we read about him when we studied through Ezra. If you remember, enemies were arising against Israel in the book of Ezra. Darius, his father, strongly supported Israel and issued a decree that nothing should hinder the work of rebuilding the Temple.
Darius' father in Persia, is also infamous for his invasion of Greece, which Darius wanted under his control. His forces, however, were defeated at a very famous Battle of Marathon. In fact, modern-day races, marathon races are named after the events that happened there. The story unfolds in that he brought his army in to attack Marathon, and Marathon there in Greece defeated the Persians, but then they turned their ships towards Athens. The people of Marathon were concerned for their beautiful city of Athens.
A runner ran all of the way from the city of Marathon to Athens, Greece, nonstop. Then once he got to the city, announced and warned them of the impending danger of the Persian navy, then he collapsed and died. The distance between Marathon and Athens is now the official distance of every Marathon race. Isn't that an interesting part of the history? I love history, and I'm sure you would agree there's some fascinating parts of history to study.
Then Darius, after that defeat, attempted to rebuild his forces, but he died before that could be completed. His son Xerxes or Ahasuerus here, restarted the rebuilding in preparations for a second invasion of Greece. That's all backstory to chapter one of this book and tells us in chapter one that the Persian king, Ahasuerus, gave a banquet and a gala celebration of 180 days where he displayed the grandeur and power of his kingdom. He brought in army officers and princes.
Now, from history, we know that he did all of this to try to strengthen their confidence in his armies and to assure them of the victory and the plan that this would succeed. For 180 days, he displayed his power, and then at the end of that, he put on a great feast, seven days of a banquet of drinking and eating.
All of this is in chapter one. At the end of the seventh day, when the king was intoxicated with wine, he called for his queen, Queen Vashti, to come and display her beauty before all of the army officers and princes who were also drunk. Queen Vashti had no desire to come and display her beauty in front of a bunch of drunken army officers and flatly refused to come.
Someone says, "Hey, good for her." King Ahasuerus was furious, however, no one dissipated direct order of the king. He called in the law experts. "What ought be done to anyone, a queen such as her, who disobeys an order?" The advisors advised that the queen had wronged not only the king but all of the army officers and everyone in the kingdom because as soon as women heard that Queen Vashti stood up to her husband, well, women all over the kingdom will stand up to their husbands and there will be plenty of anger and contempt in the entire kingdom and we cannot have that. She was demoted and her royal title taken from her and never allowed into the presence of the king again.
Now, pausing this story for a moment, from history, we know that King Ahasuerus then proceeded to attack Greece. He brought more than 350,000 soldiers into Greece for this attack. He brought 700 to 800 ships in support. He made two floating bridges in order to get over there, but a storm destroyed them-- true story, this is all in history, so he had the sea whipped as punishment for destroying his floating bridges. Literally, he had soldiers going waist-deep into the sea with whips, whipping the sea in punishment for destroying his bridges.
Now, this is important to understand his mentality because it does play into the story of Esther. In other words, in his mind, he was a divine sovereign, and a position of any type must not be tolerated even by the sea. Now, the story unfolds, we know this from history that Ahasuerus or Xerxes did defeat and pillage Athens, but a week later, his naval ships were defeated and destroyed. Without a fleet of ships to supply the army, he was forced to retreat and it was the beginning of the decline of the Persian Empire.
Now, in fact, we know from history that returning from this defeat that he immediately turned his attention back to his harem, and that's all part of history outside of the Bible, which fits in perfectly to the history that we read in the Book of Esther. He then turned again his attention to his harem to replace his queen, and that's where the intrigue of the story brings us next. He must find a new queen.
Beautiful young ladies were brought in from all over the kingdom, given a full year of beautification, which seems a little bit much in my mind. I don't know what can be going on for a whole year of beautification. All right, and then after a year, they were brought into the harem. The one who pleased the king most would become queen to replace Vashti. Now, that's where Esther enters this story. She was young, probably in her early 20s. She was orphaned. Her mother and father died.
Her cousin adopted her, Mordecai. He is a very important part of the story. It tells us that her form and beauty were noticed by the officials. She was brought into the harem, given the full year of beautification, and then sent into the king. She found favor with the king and found kindness with him more than all the others and so, he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen.
I. God’s Hand Moves Over Nations
Now, the story is careful to mention that Esther never reveals the fact that she is a Jew. For her cousin, Mordecai, had given her strict warnings, "Let no one know that you are a Jew." She was very obedient. No one knew that behind all of this was a Jewish woman. The story is about how the hand of God moves. To put this in the context of nations, because this is important for our faith today, what unfolds in the story actually has implications for our world today. Let's begin with this understanding, God's hand moves over nations. Let's understand that in the context of the story.
Now, the Book of Daniel, written of course when Daniel was there in Babylon, describes that the king, Nebuchadnezzar, had a dream. The dream was very significant. He dreamed of a great statue, standing large with extraordinary splendor. The head of the statue made of gold, its breasts and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, and its legs of iron and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.
A. From ancient of days to king of the earth
Then, a stone made without hands in this dream struck this mighty statue on its feet of iron and clay and crushed them. Then, the entire statue was crushed by this stone. The stone that struck that statue became a great mountain that filled the whole Earth. We understand the prophecy is about our Lord and Savior in the latter days. In other words, from ancient of days to king of the Earth, it's a picture of Jesus Christ. In this story that unfolds in the nations, it's a story of the king of the Earth that will reign in the prophecy that will be fulfilled and I submit that we are living in days that are right at the beginning of the birth pangs that Jesus suggested will bring forth and usher in the latter days.
Daniel 2:28: Daniel answered before the king and said, "There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days." This has everything to do with our world today. The head of gold, he said, was Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The world has never seen a kingdom so great. It's so significant was Babylon that it is the second most mentioned city in the Bible. Jerusalem is first, Babylon is second in mentions in the Bible.
In the latter days, Babylon becomes a picture of all the immorality of the world and all that it represents. In fact, out of the occult practices of Babylon comes the mark of the beast in the latter days, and the number of the name of the antichrist comes out of the occultic practices of Babylon, 666. Now, the chest of silver is the next great kingdom that would arise in the world, the kingdom of Persia, also a world power but inferior to Babylon that in the story of Esther, you see God moving in the nations revealed through Daniel the prophet.
Then he mentions a third kingdom that would arise and that is Greece that would arise after Persia. It arises as a great world power whose influence on the world is still felt today. In fact, our modern New Testament was written originally, most of it in Greek. Again, you see God's hand moving in the nations for Daniel's prophecy was referring to the power of Greece under Alexander the Great.
You see the hand of God moving yet again for the story unfolds and we read this in the history outside of the Bible that nation after nation fell before Alexander driving east on his way to defeat Persia, first, he wanted to come and defeat Jerusalem. On the main road to Jerusalem stood the high priest in all of his priestly garb and all of the people who served him standing with him in bright white garbs.
The reason is because the priest knew that Israel could not stand up against Alexander the Great and so he prayed and asked God for wisdom. He felt God pressed it upon his heart that he ought to go and just simply welcome Alexander and wear his high priestly robes. When Alexander approached the city riding on his famous war horse to the shock and surprise of his officers, when Alexander coming up the road saw the high priest, he got off of his great war-horse, bowed before the high priest, took his hand and walked gently into Jerusalem where the gates were wide open, which is not what you do when an enemy's force is at the door, but they had the doors of the city, the gates of the city wide open.
Alexander the Great and the priest walked into the city hand in hand and then Alexander went to the temple and with the direction of the priest, made offerings in honor of the God of Israel. Now, later his officers asked, "How could this be?" They thought that perhaps he became mentally touched, mentally off. They said, "How could it be that the Great Alexander should bow before the priest of another country?"
Alexander said, "Before I embarked on this journey, I had a dream, a very, very vivid dream, and in my dream was this very man, and he was wearing those exact clothes. The voice in the dream exhorted me to make no delay for that he was giving me dominion over the Persians. I was then convinced that I would succeed, for I was divinely inspired." Then hearing this, the high priest took out the book of Daniel and showed to him that the prophecy of Daniel declared that a great commander from Greece would destroy the empire of the Persians.
Upon hearing this, Alexander poured great favor out upon the Jews. Again, the hand of God is moving in the nations. The fourth kingdom, the last empire, arises in the latter days, and now it becomes relevant. The statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream had legs of iron, but feet partly of iron and clay. The fourth kingdom would be the great Roman empire, as strong as iron, which crushes and shatters all things.
B. The last Empire arises in the latter days
The legs of iron would be that empire of Rome during the days of Jesus, when he lived in Israel, later divided into two parts but the empire will be revived again in the latter days as a coalition of nations. Some of the kingdoms in that coalition will be strong, some made of iron. Others will be brittle, made of clay but they will not adhere together. This 10-nation coalition will not adhere together, as iron does not combine with pottery.
Out of this 10-nation confederacy, the reviving of that empire arises one who defeats three of the others and becomes the great ruler in the latter days. We know him as the antichrist, arising out of a revived Roman empire. In fact, there have been rulers in the world who long to be the Caesar again. In fact, the leader of the German forces was called the Kaiser, which is another way of saying the Caesar, and have long desired to be the arising power of the world.
The ultimate intent of the antichrist in the latter days will be world domination and the annihilation of Israel. It's still the intent of the enemy to destroy Israel. The Ancient of Days, as we read in the book of Daniel, the King of kings will arise in the latter days because the hand of God moves in nations. There's where our faith must arise for what we are seeing happening in the world today would be very concerning were it not for our faith that believes that behind all the events of the world, the hand of God moves. We know how this story ends. We know who will be the victory. Amen. Let's give the Lord praise.
II. God’s Hand Moves in Everyday Lives
Then we see in the story of Esther, how the hand of God moves in the events of everyday lives. God's hand moves in everyday lives. Chapter three, that was a long introduction. In the history of sermons, that is one of the longest introductions ever given. Chapter 3:1. After these events, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman. Haman, when they read the story in Purim, every time his name is mentioned, all the children will shake the noisemakers because he is the mortal enemy in the story. The king promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite.
The fact that he is an Agagite is a very important part of the story. In other words, he is an ancient descendant of King Agag, who was an Amalekite, who were the mortal enemies of Israel all the way back to the days of Moses in the desert.
This animosity and hatred has gone from generation to generation to generation. He is an Agagite. The king advanced him and established his authority over all the princes who were with him and all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.
Then the king's servants, who were at the king's gate, said to Mordecai, "Why are you transgressing the king's command?" It was when they had spoken daily to him, and he would not listen to them that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai's reason would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. In other words, I cannot bow, I will not pay homage, for I am a Jew and my God is the King over all kings and Lord over all lords. The God of Israel has said to me that I will bow before no man. I am a Jew.
A. God blesses faithfulness
In verse 5, when Haman saw that Mordecai would neither bow down nor pay homage to him, he was filled with rage but he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai only, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were. Therefore, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews. Not just one Jew, all the Jews, the people of Mordecai who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus. In the first month which the month, Nisan, in the 12th year of King Ahasuerus, Purim, that is the lot was cast. That's where we get the name Purim.
Pur, that is, the lot was cast before Haman from day to day, from month to month, until the 12th month, that is, the month Adar was selected. In other words, they cast these lots to determine the day in which the Jews would be destroyed.
They cast lots and the lot fell on the 12th month. Now, it's important to note that this is happening in the first month, but the lot now is indicating that this will happen in the 12th month. Then further we read the lot is cast for the exact day, and it falls on the 13th day. 12th month, 13th day. When is Purim celebrated every year? Yes, same time of year.
Haman then, verse eight, said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people that is scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different from the laws of all other people, and they do not observe the king's laws. It is not in the king's interest to let them remain. If it is pleasing to the king, let it be decreed that they should be destroyed. I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who carry on the king's business and I will put it in the king's treasuries."
In other words, I will pay for this. Then the king and this is the disaster of all disasters, the king then took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. The king said to Haman, "The silver is yours and the people are yours. Do with them as you please."
The king's scribes were summoned on the 13th day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king's satraps, to the governors who were over each province. In other words, letters were sent to the princes of every people in each province according to a script. Each people, according to his language being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet ring.
Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces to destroy, to kill, to annihilate all Jews, both young and old, women and children, all in one day, the 13th day of the 12th month, which is in the month Adar and to seize their possessions as plunder. Now a copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the people so that they should be ready for that day.
Couriers went out impelled by the king's command while the decree was issued in Susa, the capital, and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in confusion. Now, seeing how dire is the situation now against the Jews, the edict is complete annihilation written in the annals of the king, letters were sent, and at the end of chapter three, the letters have gone out.
The king's edict and command now stands that on the 13th day of the 12th month, every Jew must be killed. Men, women and child, complete annihilation, and because we're speaking of the great kingdom of Persia, we're speaking of complete annihilation of Israel, of Jews. There is where we see that God's hand moves is really the story of God's amazing power in the everyday lives of people in the story.
Each of the characters in the story have great significance. Was it not God's hand moving through the events of Esther's life that brought her to the place of being queen of Persia? Was it not the hand of God moving upon Mordecai to warn Esther not to mention the fact that she's a Jew, for if it was revealed now that she is a Jew, she would be in mortal trouble.
The power of God is in full display in the story and we see the hand of God moving, not only in the story, when you see the hand of God moving in the story, our faith is increased to believe that the hand of God still moves and is today even now moving in the lives of those who trust and believe that God's power is still on the move today. Does anybody believe that God's hand still moves?
Yes, let's give them praise and glory and honor, but would you notice this in the story? Yes, God's hand moves. Yes, God's hand moves in the everyday lives, but please note that God blesses faithfulness. When Mordecai refused to bow and pay homage, he knew it was at great risk, but he was standing in faithfulness to God's word. Honor like that should be given to God, and God alone.
He was a man of faith, he was a man of God's Word, he was a faithful man who instructed Esther, he brought Esther into his house, raised her as his own daughter, and very surely instructed her in the ways of God. She was a woman of excellence and great character and faithfulness. Now I've seen that because God wants His people to be people who are strong of character and strong of faith.
Standing on promises requires the character of faith. Notice in verses three and four, when the king's servants who are standing at the gate said, "Why are you transgressing in the king's command?" He told them That is because he's a Jew. By his faith, he must not compromise. It's difficult today. It's becoming more difficult to stand on the principles of God's Word. There is pressure today like never before. The world is pressuring believers to hide their faith in a closet and to say nothing and do nothing. There is tremendous pressure today for believers to hide their faith in a closet, say nothing and do nothing. Anybody agree with me?
The culture is strongly pressuring believers now to be quiet, speak nothing, but the eyes of the Lord are searching for men and women today who will take their stand wherever God has placed them, wherever God has set them, the eyes of the Lord are looking for people who are willing to stand and not compromise and stand strong in their faith. There comes a time when your faith must be counted. Anybody agree with me? There comes a time when your faith must be counted, and I submit to you that the times are becoming perilous. It's time for faith to arise. It's time for faith to be counted.
I'm reminded of when Nebuchadnezzar in that story, in Daniel 3, made that image of gold and demanded that all men fall down in worship before it. That those three, remember the story, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took their stand, refused to bow down. Then when they were brought before the king, they were given one final opportunity to bow in worship or they would be cast into the fire and their answer is filled with faith that inspires us still to this day.
For their answer, Daniel 3:16-18, "We do not need to give you an answer concerning this oh, Nebuchadnezzar. If it be so, our God, whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire and He will deliver us out of your hand, oh, king, one way or the other, by life or by death, He will save us and deliver us from your hand. Even if he does not, let it mean known to you, oh, king, that we are not going to serve your gods, we are not going to worship the golden image that you have set up. No, we will not bow. No, we will not be silent. No, we will not go into the closet. No, our faith will arise because the sense of urgency is ever before us."
Mordecai is going to be blessed because of that faithfulness, but he cannot know this. He does not have the Book of Esther, we do. He did not have the answer. He did not know where this story was going to end. You and I, in a similar way, do not know the journey that is before us. We do not know what the journey before us will bring, but we do know that God is with us in the journey and we do know that God blesses those who are faithful, and we do know that God's eyes are looking for those who will stick their stand in the midst of the troubles of the day.
I love that saying, we do not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. This is His story in our lives. This is His story. God and I have a story and we are still walking this journey together. God and you have a story and we know. I love that declaration from Daniel 3. We do know how this story ends. We will be with our Lord and Savior and it will end victoriously. Amen. Let's give the Lord praise for that. It's a great truth today.
B. God is with you in the battle
Lastly, we'll close with this. God is with you in the battle. You must understand the story is about spiritual warfare, but God is with you in the battle. When Haman learned that Mordecai is a Jew and despised not only him but all of the Jews. Again, he's reigning from India to Ethiopia and this is complete annihilation. It's a spiritual battle with a long history. This we are reading is the very nature of anti-Semitism. By the way, anti-Semitism, as you know, was the root cause of the Holocaust. In fact, did not Hitler bring what he called the final solution? Solution to what? To the question, what shall we do with these Jews? That was the question that was a raging all throughout Europe and Eastern Europe.
What shall we do with these Jews? They tried putting them be ghettos, they tried restricting them, they tried repressing them, but Hitler's solution was the final one, the final solution. I submit that which he said was the final solution has been attempted by the enemy all the way back in history and is continuing into the future. We are seeing an arising of anti-Semitism today. In fact, if you go and I know I'm running a little over, when you run, if you go to college campuses today, all over this country and listen to the views of young people today, you would be amazed how many people are arising against Israel in today's world.
In fact, Revelation 12:1-6, Revelation describes the whole nature of it. It says, "A great sign appeared in heaven. A woman--" we may know this woman is Israel-- "A woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and on her head, a crown of 12 stars. She was with child, the Lord Jesus, and she cried out in pain to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven. Behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns." We read that earlier. "The dragon stood before that woman who was about to give birth so that he might devour the child. She gave birth to a Son, a male child who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron and her child was caught up to God and to His throne."
As you notice, it continues later. Revelation 12:17, "and the dragon was enraged at the woman--" Israel "--and went off to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus." He's referring to us in that verse that the enemy is not only harboring enmity against Israel, but all of her offspring. The church is born from the Jews. Jesus was a Jew.
We, therefore, are offspring of faith and the enemy is not satisfied to persecute Israel only, but has his eyes on you. Yes, we are in a great spiritual battle, but we know how this story ends and we know that God is with us in the battle. We know that the King of kings and Lord of lords will arise and will crush the nations of the world and that that Kingdom will come and will be established on the Earth. We do know how this story ends in the world and we know how this story ends in our lives as well. For when we take our last breath, we enter into the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, victorious on that day, but He is with us now in the battle. He is with us now.
Ephesians 6:10-14, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against powers, against forces of darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places, and having done everything to stand firm. Stand firm"
That's the admonition of the Word of God, "Having done everything to stand firm. Stand firm." That's the Word of God to us today. Time to arise. It's time for faith to be counted, time to stand firm. I want to say with Paul, when he wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course, I've kept the faith." Anybody else, I've fought the good fight, I've finished the course. I want to finish strong. Let's give the Lord praise. Exactly. Amen.
Lord, we honor you. You're showing us the understanding that your hand moves. God, how your hand moves upon the nations and we are encouraged in our faith to recount it and to see it that your hand is over the nations of the world. For what we are seeing now unfolding, God, is very concerning, but we know how the story ends. God, we know that you're with us in the battle and you're calling every one of us to arise in faith, to be strong, to believe that God is with us on this journey and we know how the story will end. Every one of us stands in the victory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.