Yesterday I Cried

By Sbu Ngubane

Yesterday I Cried

In this book, Sbu takes you on a journey of spiritual, psychological and emotional catharsis. One that begins with getting into your shoes and mapping out a universe of life’s ordeals that have left one broken and shattered. He rekindles hope by walking you through a series of perspective-altering antidotes. The book takes you from the valley of tears to a place of refreshing springs

Sbu also reveals that through a balanced faith perspective,
you can:
•Find peace in the midst of life’s contradictions,
•Turn painful experiences into blessings,
•Understand how the challenges of life can propel you to a heaven-ordained purpose.

About the Author

S’bu Ngubane is an author, a speaker and teacher of the Word. He is also a senior executive in the Provincial Government, Province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where he has served in different capacities, including being Chief-of-Staff to the Premier.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sbu Ngubane
• Release date: Jan 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9780620737050

Book preview

Yesterday I Cried

Yesterday I Cried

S’bu Ngubane

Copyright © 2016 S’bu Ngubane

Published by S’bu Ngubane Publishing at Smashwords

First edition 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder. The Author has made every effort to trace and acknowledge sources/resources/individuals. In the event that any images/information have been incorrectly attributed or credited, the Author will be pleased to rectify these omissions at the earliest opportunity.

Published by Author using Reach Publishers’ services,

P O Box 1384, Wandsbeck, South Africa, 3631

Edited by Frankie Kartun for Reach Publishers

Cover designed by Reach Publishers

Website: www.reachpublishers.co.za

E-mail: [e-mail]

Printed and bound by Novus Print Solutions

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www.tiqvahworld.com

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the New International Version

Scripture quotations marked AKJV are taken from the American King James Version

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the New Living Translation

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version

Scripture quotations marked GWT are taken from the GOD’S WORD Translation

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version

Scripture quotations marked ISV are taken from the International Standard Version

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the English Standard Version

Scripture quotations marked ASV are taken from the American Standard Version

Scripture quotations marked DBT are taken from the Darby Bible Translation

Scripture quotations marked NET are taken from the New English Translation

Scripture quotations marked WEB are taken from the World English Bible

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified Bible

Scripture quotations marked GNB are taken from the Good News Bible

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

The Bigger Picture

The Relentless Opposition

Can These Bones Live?

Is There No Balm In Gilead?

Forgetting The Former Things

Power Of Praise

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

Firstly, I would like to thank the Most High God for choosing a vessel like me, so much in need of Grace. To each and every person that God has ever connected me with, I appreciate you. To the many men and women of God whom He used to minister in my life, thank you for allowing God to use you as instruments to nurture this vessel. A special thanks to Prophet Benjamin Khutsoane for laying the foundation and leading me to Christ, and Pastor Mthunzi Namba for the role that he has played in my life. To my family, thank you for being an amazing, loving and supportive family. And to the many friends with whom God has blessed me – each of you has contributed immensely to the person that I am today. Words will never be enough to express my gratitude to each of you. My colleagues at work - I believe in divine connection and I thank God for connecting me with you.

Apostle Neo Rathebe, thank you for your immeasurable support throughout the development and production of this work. Rev Vikinduku Mnculwane, your contribution and guidance, particularly on the theological and doctrinal perspectives has enhanced the value of this book. Zefa Nsibande and Graham Dick, thank you for availing your talent and skill in moulding this project to be what it is.

Introduction

Staring at the broken pieces of my life, my soul so deeply plunged into a gulf of despair, I cried. With my emotions torn like thin clouds scattered across the sky, I groaned and wrestled. I felt like I was sinking deep into the abyss of insanity. An overwhelming wave of emptiness washed over me. To silence the barrage of runway thoughts gushing through my mind, with the little strength I could garner, I mumbled some words in prayer.

I thought about the paradox of life. Not so long ago, I had been laughing; now I was crying. I had so much faith, yet so much unbelief. I had many people around me, yet felt so lonely. Haunted by the past, whilst having to contemplate the future, my mind became a racecourse, with a litany of questions, all competing for answers. The proverbial Why? Why Me? What if? How long? All these reverberated in my mind, endlessly.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to reconcile the inconsistencies between what I thought I knew about God and what I now had to contend with.

Such is life. It can take a dramatic turn that leaves us so bewildered and feeling so defeated. Great men and women who have walked on this planet have all had their share of these moments. In fact, those disposed to greatness are acquainted with these moments! It is this moment that prompted our Lord Jesus Christ to cry out, from the depth of his pain, and say, My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?

No one is immune from these trying times that wreak havoc on our emotions. No matter how strong we are, some situations can leave us feeling lost and shattered, plunging us in a terrible vertigo.

One thing I have learned is that, when going through such moments, perspective is everything. Appropriating the right perspective enables us to give meaning to the everyday events of our lives. Instead of being overwhelmed by the vicissitudes of life, we can live our lives against a background of meaning and purpose. As we do that, our faith is strengthened and tears are wiped from our eyes.

In the final analysis, the tears we cried yesterday, become a spring, the early rain that heralds a new era, a new season in our lives. All the hardships and struggles we go through, matched with correct perspective, become the deeper experiences that shape our lives.

It is my fervent prayer that you, the readers of this book will, through reading it, gain perspectives that will bring encouragement to you as you pursue your purpose on earth, for destiny is calling!

Chapter 1

The Bigger Picture

I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News.

(Philippians 1:12 NLT)

It all started with the lost donkeys. Saul, Israel’s first king, had gone out to look for his father’s lost donkeys. Kingship was the last thing on his mind as he went searching for them. After a tiring and futile search, his servant then suggested they go and inquire of Samuel, the great seer and prophet of Israel.

When Saul and his servant arrived in the town where Samuel was residing at the time, the servant of God was already waiting for them. God had already revealed to Samuel the man he was going to anoint as king and that this man (Saul) would come to see him.

The lost donkeys turned out to be part of God’s Plan that was to lead to Saul being anointed by Samuel as Israel’s king. Think about this: while Saul was preoccupied with donkeys, God was setting him up for his destiny. It was a Divine set-up!

In the same way, God will use the natural, ordinary experiences in your life to bring you to your destiny.

One of the measures of spiritual maturity is the ability to align our thoughts with the thoughts of God, the ability to see every experience from God’s point of view. This process starts with understanding how God works and how He thinks, which brings our experiences into harmony with His ways. David alludes to this truth and says, Now I’m alert to God’s ways; I don’t take God for granted. Every day I review the ways He works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step.

I no longer believe in coincidences, simply because I understand that God works through daily experiences - the good, the bad and the ugly. He works through people, those we know and those we do not know.

From Why me to What is God up to?

The skill of reconciling daily experiences to God’s purposes empowers us to praise Him in, and for everything. Armed with this attitude, every experience becomes valuable to us, and does not go to waste.

It makes us ask pertinent questions in relation to our experiences: what is God up to, what is He making of my experiences, what does He want me to learn out of this experience? In other words, we learn not just to stop at the level of seeking a mundane or superficial interpretation of life’s events, but to investigate, to analyse, to ponder on the spiritual significance of such experiences. Instead of being