The always-there God? Do you wonder which God that might be? It could not possibly be the God of heaven ... our God, could it? Our God is on vacation ... someplace. So it seems ... sometimes. Where is God when life starts to crumble and the burdens begin to crush?

Could Queen Esther have ever felt that way? She would have had every reason. Perhaps that is why, in the entire Old Testament book that bears her name, the name of God never appears ... not even once.

The scene is ancient Persia during the reign of Ahasueras (also known as Xerxes) ... the royal palace. A party is going on and on and on. For six months, this party had been roaring along, and was now being capped off by weeklong banquets, one for the men hosted by the king, one for the women hosted by the queen, Vashti. Yes, ther…