BEAUTY OF THE ASHES
BISHOP DR. CLARENCE W. MCCLAIN
This is not cosmetic restoration, it is a core transformation. God works from the inside
out.
Oil of Joy—Anointing for Mourning
Oil in Scripture is symbolic of anointing, healing, and the Holy Spirit. When David said,
" You anointed my head with oil " (Psalm 23:5), he was speaking of divine refreshment.
Mourning is real. Jesus never said we wouldn’t mourn. But Isaiah 61 tells us that
mourning is not the end, it’s only the beginning of the life you have yearned for.
The oil of joy: Hear what I say:
• Heals what mourning has fractured.
1. Job a. Sat in ashes, covered in boils b. Lost everything—children, wealth, health c. But Job 42:10 says, “And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends...”
• Refreshes what loss has dried up. It was in the valley of dry bones, when God said,
can these bones live, and Ezekiel said, you know Lord.
• Empowers what grief has weakened.
2. Ruth a. Lost her husband, home, and future b. Gleaned in fields, barely surviving c. But God gave her Boaz, a legacy, and placed her in the lineage of Christ
This oil is not found in a bottle. It is found in His presence.
When You Wear The Garment of Praise, You Are Freed from Heaviness
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