BEAUTY FROM ASHES

I'm currently studying Beth Moore's "Breaking Free" Bible study. As always, her studies inspire me and challenge me to a deeper, more intimate relationship with God. They also dig a deeper hunger inside of me for God's Word. One of my favorite things about how Beth teaches is that she frequently goes back to the original text, which draws so much more meaning to the thoughts that are written.

This study has been different for me from the last two I have done, "Jesus the One and Only" and "Believing God". I haven't been able to fully relate to everything in this study, as I have the previous ones. Don't get me wrong, God is teaching me a lot, it's just been different for me. Our teaching last night, I think was the highlight of this study so far for me. Until now, I've worked through the homework and applied many things from the teachings, but what she taught on last night really hit home for me.

Beauty from ashes.

Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and to provide for those who grieve in Zion -- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

Some points made that really hit home to me:

1) God never allows or appoints a fire unless He can bring beauty from the ashes.

2) We cannot avoid fiery trials because our faith is going to be tried and proved.

1 Peter 1:6-7
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith -- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire -- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

3) Whatever the reason, the purpose of refinement is always to make us vessels of beauty.

2 Cor. 4:16-18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The neat thing is, this is part of the passage of Scripture we were studying this past Sunday in church. They always say, when God gives it to you twice, you really need to take notice! It's amazing what Paul considers "light and momentary afflictions". Chapter 11:16-33 talks about his imprisonment, floggings, beatings, being stoned and shipwrecked three times, etc. etc. I don't think any of us could say we've gone through these hardships, and yet these are his "light and momentary afflictions".

4) Sometimes our fiery trials are absolutely necessary to fulfill our callings.

Example: Peter denying Christ 3 times. The "dross" had to be surfaced in order for him to fulfill his calling of "strengthening the brothers".

5) What should we do with our sufferings?

1 Peter 4:19
So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves (or lay yourself before Him) to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

I don't think God necessarily causes hardships in our lives, but he does allow them in order to deepen our faith and our walk with him. I so often think of Job. All the terrible things he endured, and yet he said, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). We, too, will come forth as gold.