{"id":13521,"date":"2025-08-19T09:37:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/?post_type=oyb&#038;p=13521"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:15","slug":"sleepless-in-susa","status":"publish","type":"oyb","link":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/oyb\/sleepless-in-susa","title":{"rendered":"SLEEPLESS IN SUSA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cOn that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.\u201d (Esther 6:1 ESV)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>This verse marks the turning point of the entire book of Esther. Haman had just convinced the king to issue a decree to destroy the Jews, and Queen Esther had called for three days of fasting and prayer. On one of those very nights in the capital city of Susa, the mighty king of Persia couldn\u2019t sleep. Hoping for relief, he asked for the royal records to be read aloud, likely expecting a cure for insomnia. Yet, of all the entries that could have been chosen, the reader opened to the record of Mordecai exposing a plot against the king. That forgotten act of loyalty, unrewarded until now, suddenly rose to the surface at just the right moment. Surely, this \u201ccoincidence\u201d was no accident. Esther 6:1 is the hinge of the book, the place where God\u2019s hidden hand is revealed through ordinary events. Though His name is not mentioned, His hand is unmistakable. What seemed like a sleepless night in Susa was in fact the unfolding of God\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How often do we miss God\u2019s activity because we label it coincidence? The king\u2019s insomnia reminds us that nothing is random in God\u2019s economy. He can use even a restless night, a delayed reward, or a chance conversation to accomplish His purposes. Like the Jews in Esther\u2019s day, we may feel surrounded by forces too powerful for us. Yet while they prayed and fasted, God was at work behind the scenes. Do we trust Him enough to believe that He is working even when we cannot see Him? Will we see interruptions, delays, or sleepless nights as possible tools of His grace?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for working all things together for good, even when we cannot see Your hand. Teach us to trust Your timing and providence. Help us not to dismiss moments as coincidence, but to recognize them as evidence of Your unseen care. May we rest in the assurance that You are always at work. In Jesus&#8217; name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cOn that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.\u201d (Esther 6:1 ESV) This verse marks the turning point of the entire book of Esther. Haman had just convinced the king to issue a decree to destroy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"scripture-book":[1284],"scripture-chapter":[1339],"oyb_day":[1758],"location":[],"class_list":["post-13521","oyb","type-oyb","status-publish","hentry","scripture-book-esther","scripture-chapter-1339","oyb_day-august-19"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb\/13521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/oyb"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"oyb_day","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/oyb_day?post=13521"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=13521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}