Beauty for ashes:

Rejoicing amidst affliction

God is a God of love. He fills us with His joy and peace. Sometimes in life we may have to go through some trials and tribulations. When we trust Jesus, He gives us the grace and strength to go through these trials. During the time of trial we have to remember that the Lord is close to us as He promised ´I will not fail thee, not forsake thee´. Joshua 1:5

Recently we were blessed to have an awesome women’s conference at our church called ‘Daughter of Zion’.The Lord has led us to be His children and be His daughters because He is our Father and has saved us, has redeemed us and has healed us. As His children, He has made us beautiful and we were created by Him. When God created man and women on the sixth day, He said ‘it was very good’. Gen.1:31. It pleased God when He created man. But later, Man sinned and left God so He lost his relationship with the people He loved and created.

Through our journey in life, we may face some situations, challenges and trials that make us go through a period of confusion or maybe we have turned away from God due to our sins or disobedience. One small sin or straying away makes us lose our beauty and makes us feel as if we were immersed in ashes. People may accuse us and say all sorts of things about us, but our Lord, because of His great mercy, may show us His great love and compassion. He helps us see through our faults or sin and brings us to a place of beauty by His side.

When we cry out with a sincere heart and say ‘please forgive me and help me turn to you,’ the Lord listens to our cry and brings out beauty in the midst of the ashes.

His has poured out His Holy Spirit on us so that we can preach, to heal the broken-hearted and comfort those who mourn and give them ‘beauty for ashes’. Isaiah 61:1-3.

In these verses the Lord wants us to surrender to him and make us a blessing to others, especially those who are broken hearted, those who mourn and comfort, those who are mourning with the oil of joy and pour His love into people so they can experience His love and be set free from their mournings.

The Lord wants to give them beauty for ashes and a garment of praise for a heavy spirit. Garments are attire that we put on so we learn to put our praise on and praise Him everyday. Even though the enemy tries to attack us or tries to bring us down, yet when we praise Him we can see chains and walls fall down and he will remove our depression and bondages when we praise. Acts 16 clearly talks of Paul and Silas two amazing men who were thrown into prison when they began to talk about Jesus. But because of their love for God they willingly went to jail and were bound in chains. At midnight, the Bible says in Acts 16, they rejoiced and worshiped the Lord, while they were tied up. Then, the power of praying made their chains fell off, it opened the door and they were free. Praying set them free and it can do the same for you.

In Zephaniah 3:14 the word of God says ‘Sing O daughter of Zion; shout O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.’

When we rejoice in Him, He helps us to live for Him and love Him so much that we loose ourselves and t focus on Him because we have been Redeemed in Him. The Bible says ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew.’ 6:33. The Lord wants us to seek Him more in these last days.

Finally, I would like to share Zephaniah 3:17 verse. ‘The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.’

Let us keep loving Him and live for His praise and glory, serving Him with all our heart, soul and might so that one day, when we all go to meet Jesus, hHe can look down and say: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant, you may enter into the joy of the Lord.

May the Lord Jesus lead us all.

By: Valentina Visuvasam
Homemaker and Pastors wife
Cornerstone Fellowship
Audubon PA