When I first saw this flower, I immediately thought about how such a beautiful flower could emerge from such a small narrow crack!

Because many of us know that a flower will bloom when a seed is planted in the right type of soil…is given the right amount of water…and is exposed to the right amount of sunlight. The “right” conditions are so important for optimal growth.

Some of you avid gardeners out there know this…but I learned this the hard way with my boys a few years ago.

My boys were excited to grow a flower and decided to plant some seeds. We had the soil and sunlight right…but the boys didn’t keep up with the water as they should have and we didn’t see anything emerge from the soil. Unfortunately, we didn’t give the seeds the right conditions to grow. My boys were definitely disappointed but…if anything…certainly a good lesson in learning responsibility!

In examining this flower…we can clearly see that these conditions are also not “right” or optimal for growth.

Think about it for a minute…the soil is buried under heavy concrete cement (and most possibly not nutrient-rich) …the water (a rarity here in AZ) would have to trickle through the jagged cement pieces within the crack…and the sunlight could barely reach the trace amount of exposed soil hidden deep inside the crack.

So how could such a beautiful flower emerge from such a small narrow crack? How possibly could this flower have emerged and bloomed?! Well…Only God.

Only God can create such a beautiful flower from what our eyes could only see unfavorable and from what our minds could only deem impossible.

We see limitations…We see less than optimal surroundings…We see no way.

But what we don’t see…is God… “behind the scenes.”

God is working “behind the scenes.”

He has no limitations…He is the master of “optimal” …and He is the way!

The story of Esther in the Bible is truly amazing and such a great example of God working “behind the scenes.” I highly recommend reading Esther’s story if you have never read it. (Esther 1-10)

What is so fascinating about this book is that Esther is one of the books in the Bible… but it never mentions God at all. God is nowhere named in the book nor are there pronouns or oblique references to Him.

Yet God is working “behind the scenes” and even though His name is not in there…. He is actually on every page! Check out these details and see for yourself.

• The courage of Vashti to disobey the king and not parade before the lustful, leering eyes of drunken officials.
• The storm that wrecked Xerxes’ 1200 ships so that Greece could defeat the Persians. Otherwise, Europe would be Asian and not influenced by the laws and democracies of Greece and Rome.
• The choosing of Esther to be the next Queen of Persia.
• The care and protection of Mordecai for his orphaned cousin, Esther.
• The overhearing of the assassination plot and the reporting of it by Mordecai.
• The recording of the foiling of this assassination plot and the credit given to Mordecai.
• The “sleepless in Susa” night of the king.
• The choosing of just the right scroll…the opening to just the right lines about Mordecai’s saving the king.
• The king’s extending the scepter to receive Esther.
• Haman’s arriving at just the right time on the morning he went to get permission to hang Mordecai. If he had been ten minutes earlier, Haman would have succeeded and history would be totally different.
• The wisdom to know how to counteract the original edict that could not be revoked.

God was working “behind the scenes” on behalf of Esther and the Jews and His presence is seen so clearly on every page.

Just as God was working “behind the scenes” to bring forth deliverance for the Jews in the story of Esther…just as He was working “behind the scenes” to bring forth this beautiful flower from a crack…He is also working “behind the scenes” to bring forth His plan and purposes for your life and your current situation.

Do you believe and trust that God is working “behind the scenes” for you?

Our human eyes can only see…our husband’s job loss… our child’s waywardness…our shrinking bank account…our family member’s declining health…our friend’s failing marriage… …answers we simply don’t have.

But God is not limited by what we see…because He sees and knows our very present situation and is working “behind the scenes” on our behalf.

We can be confident that God is working in the circumstances surrounding us. We cannot always see and understand what He is doing…but that doesn’t mean that He is idle. He is working out His plans and His purposes in our lives (and in the world) and nothing…NOTHING…is going to stop Him from completing them.

And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you. Philippians 1:6 AMP

God working “behind the scenes” is based on our believing…not our seeing.

For we live by faith not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

The phrase “behind the scenes” means “done, maintained, or held out of public view or in secret.”

So when God is working “behind the scenes” …He is “doing” for us out of our view…out of our sight. And that’s why we must believe and trust Him…no matter how bad things may look or be.

In Esther’s story, Mordecai and Esther were so committed to saving God’s people that they actually risked their lives. God works “behind the scenes” for His committed people.

If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this? Esther 4:14 NLT

Who knows but what in your life you have come to such a time as this?

If we claim to be Christians, then we must also show our commitment and do our part…especially when we can’t see or don’t know what God is doing ‘behind the scenes” …and especially when we can’t see anything happening or changing in our situation!

Pray…Prepare…Practice…and Praise

Keep praying! Bring your requests to Him and pray without ceasing. (1Thess 5:17)

Keep preparing! Study God’s Word and do not depart from it. (Joshua 1:8)

Keep practicing! Please Him with obedience. He will bless you. (John 14:15)

Keep praising! Show gratitude in the midst of it all. He inhabits your praises. (Psalm 22:3)

You may not see it…feel it…know it…or experience it right at this moment…but God is working “behind the scenes” in your life. He is working on your behalf and He will work all things together for your good! (Romans 8:28)

Look at the beautiful flower growing and blooming from the crack…You would never think it could be done based on these less than optimal conditions. But God is working “behind the scenes” …He doesn’t need the “right” conditions or He can just create the “right” conditions…regardless…He is the master of miracles.

He can make the impossible…possible!

Whatever you are facing today…believe and trust that He is working “behind the scenes” for you. He sees…He knows…and He is in control.

Reflection Points:

1. Do you believe and trust that God is working “behind the scenes” for you? If not, what is getting in the way of you trusting Him? Limitations? Unfavorable conditions? Doubts?
2. Are you praying…preparing…practicing…and praising Him?

Action Points:

When we stay committed to God and pray without ceasing…prepare by studying God’s Word…practice through our obedience…and praise Him in the midst of our situation, our trust in Him will grow especially when we can’t see anything happening or changing our situation. We can be confident that God is working “behind the scenes” on our behalf. We will see and know that God has no limitations and all things are possible through Him.