I see victory coming to you at last! Your ash is turning into beauty. Job was a man that understood what it meant to be covered with ashes. Thus, his account has come to be a symbol of suffering and triumph. In fact when you talk about terrible suffering, every mind quickly goes to the life of Job. This was a man who was very rich and godly. He had so much wealth, good testimonies from men and also favour with God. To put it better, he was upright in his dealings both with God and men, was faithful to his promises, steady in his counsels and true to every trust.
In fact, the bible recorded that even God called him a righteous man! What other testimony? But all the above qualifications could not immune Job from the humiliating ‘ashes’ experiences of life. You know, sometimes you begin to wonder why you should go through all that. You feel you do not deserve it. Maybe 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. 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, companionship, hope, and 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 heard you shout “but mine has not gotten to that stage!” You are right. The trials totally disrobed and disfigured him! Job rightly said that he was sitting among the ashes. Or where else could he go? 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, righteous, and pious. Even some bible translations called him a perfect man. So, where was God when all these calamities were befalling 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, but he 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! Your change will surely come if you can still hold on. That unchangeable changer will surely cause the change to come! Job understood the rules of the game very well. He was prepared to wait until his change came from God. He knew that he had a God of change. Though, he was sitting in ashes, though he had lost everything he had, though his condition had beaten him beyond recognition, though the future looked so gloomy, even blank and hopeless, though groaning and scratching his sore infested body, though all his friends had left him, yet he was still prepared to wait. He was prepared to wait for his deliverance as long as the struggle lasted. The psalmist said that he will patiently and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Job continued to serve God in righteousness and holiness.
Also Read
- Renaissance CEO seeks PIA review, applauds regulatory progress
- Boss Mustapha’s full lecture at Garba Shehu’s book launch
- UNIOSUN becomes first British Council exam centre in Osun
- NCC reiterates commitment to protection of telecom infrastructure
- Edo 2024: Agba felicitates Okpebholo on Supreme Court affirmation
I want to encourage you to wait on God. He is aware of what you are going through now. I know your case cannot be as bad as Job’s, but even if it is, the same God that delivered and honoured Job will do the same for you. He turns ashes into beauty. He turns loss into profit. He turns shame into glory. And he also turns disappointment into appointment. I know you’ve incurred great loss, God is coming to replenish. In fact, God says to you that the latter glory shall be greater than the former. Just wait on Him. Those that wait upon Him shall certainly not be ashamed. The name of the winning game is waiting upon Him!
Now, let me quote directly from the bible what the latter end of Job became: “So the LORD blessed job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand teams of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. In all the land there were no other women as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers. Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren, then he died, an old man who had lived a long, good life.”
What a sweet end! God will do the same for you in Jesus’ name – Amen!
. Rev. Agbo is the author of the books/audiobooks: Power of Midnight Prayer, Receive Your Healing, Breaking Generational Curses: Claiming Your Freedom, Never Again!, I Shall Not Die, Move Forward, Power of Sacrifice and many others; Tel: 08037113283; Facebook: Gab Agbo; E-mail: gabrielagbo@yahoo.com; Website: www.authorsden.com/pastorgabrielnagbo; Twitter: pastorgabagbo; WhatsApp: 08164819333.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
