One of the virtues that have eternally and will always encouraged believers to hold onto God tenaciously, even in the face of seeming extreme hopelessness and despair, is His ability to change the most unpleasant conditions to favourable testimonies. May be, you’ve done everything humanly possible to get out of that situation and all to no avail. Unfortunately, all you seem to have after all your efforts are – sorrow, pain, regrets, grief, shame and tears. And, it’s like, you’re tempted to query the love and even the existence of God. Don’t yet. Just read this book first. God is still in the business of turning ashes into beauty. This book will bless you!
But all the above qualifications could not immune Job from the humiliating ‘ashes’ experiences of life. You know, sometimes you’ll begin to wonder why you should go through all that. You feel you do not deserve it. May be you were just making an honest effort to help out or even lead a good life yourself, and all of a sudden calamity struck – throwing you into a very dark and painful situation. Whether by mistake or design that landed you into your present predicament, God is still saying to you that He will be with you through that situation. And that He will not just rescue you but will also honour you. Praise God! There are no better promises than these. Let me put it this way; God is there with you in that pain. His mighty hands are already stretched to rescue you. Also, look at the glittering crown (honour) He kept for you, as you are coming out of that painful experience. Your present situation will sure bring honour to you and glory to God’s name. Just hold on!
Yes, Job though a righteous man, lost all he had at a stretch. He lost 500 yoke of oxen, 500 she-asses, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels and all his 10 children at a stretch. He subsequently was inflicted with terrible boils, all over his body. As if that was not enough his dear wife betrayed him and his friends also accused him of hypocrisy. All this happened to this just man at once. All his wealth, comfort, health, companion, hope, future just melted in his hands. Look at the way the bible described his condition,
“Then Job scraped his skin with a piece of broken pottery as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, ‘Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.’ When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him.”
Job 2:8, 9, 12
My God! I just hear you shout “but mine has not gotten to that stage!” You are right. Job rightly said that he was sitting among the ashes. Or where else could he go to? He had virtually nothing to hang on except God. Even God seemed very far from him. True. Naturally, any person going through that could have queried the love and existence of the so-called God. This was a man acknowledged to be good, righteousness and pious. Even some bible translations called him a perfect man. So, where was God when all these calamities befell His faithful servant? Why did God permit the devil to do such a cleaning job on him? And the devil so planned it that Job might be overwhelmed by the quick succession and complication of the calamities. He wanted job to denounce God by all means, but Job held on! Yes, he managed to hold on. Jesus! In fact, in Job 14:14, he said,
“This thought would give me hope, and through my struggle I would eagerly wait for release (all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change comes, KJV)”
Yes, my change will come! You can get this book is French, Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese and other languages https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/beauty-for-ashes-50