Beauty from ashes is what He does.
Molding, shaping is how He loves.
His goodness being formed in what gives us grief.
In place of the bitterness that satisfies the thief.
As believers, do we really believe that all things work together for good to them that love God? I believe that when God is saying this in the scriptures, it is to be understood in the context of the passage/chapter. So can we take this statement and apply it broadly to our life? I believe we can because it emulates the character of God. As we read the scriptures, we can learn to understand his character and that words and passages in the Bible CAN minister to us personally even though it may not mean that in the context of the passage in question. Those very words that may be ministering to us are making a statement about God and His character!
There are events that happen in our life where we are so sure it was God who orchestrated them and that He was leading us. For example, being so sure that God has chosen a specific person for us to marry. But when difficult times come in that marriage, the questioning begins. "Did I hear right?", How could God be in this relationship?", Did I make a mistake?" Perhaps God wants to use the situation and the person questioning to a place of full persuasion that we as believers have truly been crucified with Christ and it's no longer us that lives but Christ that lives in us. The difficult situation we may be in can, if we let it, bring us to that place where we are transformed by the renewing of our minds and to grow in His love and grace towards others. Is this not the most important thing in our life as we pilgrimage here on this temporary place we call home? Can we start to look at our difficult situations as opportunities to grow in His grace and believe that God truly will work all things out for good, trading our ashes for His beauty and having those ashes and afflictions work for us a greater glory as we fix our eyes on the things that are eternal and not the temporary things of this world.
And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God . . . Rom. 8:28
For our light afflictions are but for a moment, working for us a greater glory . . .2Cor. 4:17