Forgotten Dairies
Your Victory Is Coming -By Gabriel Agbo
Yes, my change will come! Your change will surely come if you can still hold on. That unchangeable changer will sure cause the change to come! Job understood the rule of the game very well. He was prepared to wait until his change comes 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 lasts.
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. 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. 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 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 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 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 sure cause the change to come! Job understood the rule of the game very well. He was prepared to wait until his change comes 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 lasts. 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. 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 honored 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 it says to you that the later 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!
