Life can be seasoned with the greatest joys and other times the greatest sadness. Some seasons are easy and others are hard, however many times it’s coming out of great pain that we experience the greatest joys in life.
Like Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery and then into prison, before 13 years later being delivered and placed in charge of the entire land of Egypt! And then He was gloriously reunited with his father and brothers.
Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den before seeing a great deliverance, and a decree that the entire kingdom of King Darius turn to Daniel’s God.
The three young Hebrew men were thrown into a blazing furnace, but standing in there with them was Jesus bringing deliverance.
The apostle John was banished to the Isle of Patmos before he saw the amazing REVELATION of Jesus Christ that has touched the world for centuries.
Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and thrown into prison before that great earthquake came which opened the prison doors and the gospel was preached. As a result, the jailer was saved and the church in Philippi was birthed. And it goes on and on in scripture.
All of the greatest men and women of God without exception suffered great hardship or failures in their lives, but God was always there with them bringing grace and strength. Many times deliverance came on this side of Heaven, yet sometimes their hardship escorted them into their glorious eternal inheritance in the presence of God (Hebrews 11).
Jill wrote a song called Beauty for Ashes which is on our Beautiful Hope CD, which describes this process of God taking what is devastating in someone’s life and turning it around, bringing redemption, deliverance or healing.
He’ll give you beauty for ashes and the oil of joy for your mourning soul. Beauty for ashes, He’ll take your broken life and make you whole. He’ll bring you by the hand into a better land and wrap you in a robe of righteousness. He’ll give you beauty for ashes. (Isaiah 61:3)
He is a God of love, compassion, deliverance and redemption. So no matter what you may be going through, He has a way to bring you through with mercy and grace to help you in your time of need (I Cor.10:13, Heb. 4:16, John 16:33).
You may be in the middle of your “lions den” like Daniel was or standing in a blazing furnace of divorce, sickness, loneliness, heartache or financial stress. But hold on tight to God’s love and faithfulness. He will bring you through and turn your mourning into dancing and you’re weeping into joy and peace. Your deliverance may not be overnight like Daniel’s, in fact it may be 13 years like Joseph. But if you keep your eyes on Jesus and His love for you, you will eventually come out on the other side stronger, wiser and more in love with Him than you were before.
Thank you for your continued love and support of our ministry. Simply put, we could not do it with out your help! Our hearts are always overflowing with thanks for your faithfulness.
2 Corinthians 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
May you have a wonderful time with friends and family through this Thanksgiving holiday, and always remember we love you!
With you, touching lives for eternity,
