Week 1 For Such A Time As This God Working in the Background Spirit Empowered Living

This message invites us into a powerful exploration of what it means to be a Spirit-empowered people, particularly during seasons when God seems silent or distant. Drawing from the book of Esther—remarkably, a biblical text where God is never explicitly mentioned yet His hand is unmistakably at work—we're reminded that divine intervention doesn't always announce itself with thunder and lightning. Sometimes God moves most powerfully in the background, orchestrating circumstances, positioning people, and working redemption in ways we won't recognize until we look back with hindsight. Esther's journey from orphaned Jewish girl to Queen of Persia wasn't random; it was divine positioning for a rescue mission she couldn't yet see. The message challenges us to recognize that the Holy Spirit dwelling within us isn't left at the church door—He goes with us into grocery stores, workplaces, and difficult family situations. When we face trials, financial struggles, health crises, or seemingly unanswered prayers, we're called to practice faithful obedience in the waiting. The sermon weaves together stories of Jacob and Esau's reconciliation, personal testimonies of redirected mission calls, and the reminder that God's will always surpasses our own plans. We're encouraged to resist the temptation to impose our timeline on God's work, understanding that what feels like delay is often divine preparation for something far greater than we could orchestrate ourselves.