Have you been going through a season of shame and mockery? Learn how Jesus turns your shame into praise and renown in all the earth!
It’s probably been years and the humiliation has become unbearable that you doubt that it would ever end. Maybe you are a laughing stock before people, humiliated and being looked down upon which has led to derision from all sides that you wish would disappear. People around you say there is no hope in your case or they simply say that you’re no good. But hold on, hope is always there when Jesus gets involved in your situation. He promises you that he will not only remove your shame but replace it with praise and renown in all the earth!
When the wedding banquet was held at Cana He turns your shame into Praise!, the hosts of the groom’s family encountered a rather embarrassing situation of running out of wine. In Jewish customs, the wine has an integral role to play especially in wedding rituals and signifies oneness at the time of the marriage ceremony. Imagine the humiliation the groom’s family would have faced as the inability to serve any more wine to their guests which would also have had an ominous effect on the marriage itself. Luckily for the groom, Jesus was invited to his house! Mary recognized the crisis and almost immediately asked Jesus for help. He simply took the plain water that was meant for washing the feet of the guests and turned it into the finest wine – an added bonus! The steward was dumbfounded – it was the best wine he had ever tasted and he wondered why the groom’s family had kept it away all this while. Although, Jesus’ time had not yet come He was willing to make this one miracle to save the face of the hosts. Thus, what would have otherwise turned out to be mortifying for the hosts resulted in joy and relief because Jesus had stepped in!
In the Bible, we have come across unlikely people who have made it to the hall of fame just because of their wise decision to follow God. We know how Rahab, the prostitute of Canaan who decided to protect the Israelite spies had her fate changed because of her judicious decision (Joshua2:1). And Ruth that belonged to an accursed nation – Moab – was recognized for her love for Naomi’s God (Ruth 1:16) which brought her great fortune. Keep in mind; both Rahab and Ruth were included in the genealogy of Jesus. Their shame was literally turned into praise and renown in all the earth!
When Jabez was named by his very own mother as a remembrance of the pain she bore during his birth, Jabez was keener on in his relationship with God that he turned to Him for solace (1 Chronicles 4:10). God honored him and regarded him more than his brothers by blessing and protecting him. God renamed Jabez from pain to praise! In the Bible, we see that God did not forget to mention him. However, most of his predecessors and descendants are mentioned hastily, his name and his deeds stand out.
When David’s throne was usurped by his own son Absalom, it was the greatest humiliation that David could endure. And to rub salt into his wounds, the constant verbal abuse of Shimei would have made David cringe further. The pain was indeed unbearable. But David asked God to change the cursing into a blessing because he knew if there was anyone who could undo the curses of Shimei it was only God (2 Samuel 16:12). When the hard times did pass away, David won back his power as king of Israel and got the very same Shimei down on his knees before him begging for forgiveness. God heard David’s prayer and as promised, never allowed any of Shimei’s curses to fall on him.
And finally, what better example than Jesus Himself who endured the shame on the Cross of Calvary to set us free from our sins and give us redemption. His shame led to victory and He is worthy to be worshipped forever who sits at the right hand of God (Revelation 5:9,10).
In Zephaniah 3:19, God promises us that He will turn our shame into praise and renown in all the earth. I want to you to know that He is the only one who can remove our bitter shame and replace it with praise and fame that is due!
Has God forgotten me?
God clearly knows what you are going through. If he didn’t care about the ones who are downtrodden and afflicted he would never make mention of them in the scriptures. On the contrary, we read from the book of Isaiah,
Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations.
Isaiah 60:15 (KJV)
For your shame ye shall have double; and for confusion they shall rejoice in their portion: therefore in their land they shall possess the double: everlasting joy shall be unto them.
Isaiah 61:7 (KJV)
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
Isaiah 54:11 (KJV)
I could pinpoint many more verses such as these throughout the Bible. And they are all about the helpless, the broken and the hurting. The Bible is a reflection of the heart of God. His heart beats for the heartbroken.
And if you ever thought He has forgotten about you let me guarantee you that He is at work and never idle about your issue. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, for everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. His time is the key and when the tough times pass the sun shines ever so brightly and no one can ever steal your sunshine from you!
So all you need to do is trust in Him that He will do it for you!
Remember, water to wine…. shame to praise.
