Queen Esther lived about 2,500 years ago. She was Jewish and (unknown to him) the king had said it would be okay to destroy all the Jews. Tragedy was about to strike, and her Uncle Mordecai told her, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Even though he had no idea how the story would end, Mordecai said, “And who knows but . . .” He trusted that his God had a plan and possibly Esther was a vital part of it. And she was. (Read the whole book of Esther to find out. It’s pretty short.)

None of us knows how our days, much less our lives, will end. Tragedy can strike us too, bringing more questions than answers. We lie awake at night wondering why? Like Mordecai, when we face dark days, we cling—sometimes desperately, sometimes boldly—to God’s promises to be with us, comfort us, and use us, even in our grief, to bring hope to a hurting world. 

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).