Our Ashes, His Beauty

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

Throughout Hebrew Scripture when Jews in ancient Israel wanted to demonstrate their depth of sorrow, as they grieved they would put ashes on their heads. Ashes symbolized ruin and destruction and the fullest sense of pain and loss.

In our own lives we all experience the pain of fiery trials that bring ruin and destruction. We find ourselves sitting in the ashes of our existence, unsure why God allowed it and in our grief heaping the ashes of heartache and sorrow on our heads.

When Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) presented Himself and His ministry to Israel, He stood up in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, and was handed the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. He read that the Spirit of the Lord anointed Him to preach deliverance, give sight to the blind, give liberty to the bruised, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Isaiah 61, Luke 4:18-19). In other words, to give His Beauty for our ashes.

How can this be so? For those who ask Him, He can take the ashes of our lives and give us the beauty of His indwelling Holy Spirit. It sounds like a lopsided trade, doesn't it? Exactly. But that's what Grace is. It is not earned. It is received.  He can come after any inferno and bring new growth to fire-ravaged lives, no matter the gory details. He gives to us something we could never do for ourselves. When the smoke clears in any situation, He's the only One left standing with both the power and authority to restore us. Tell Him. Ask Him. Your ashes. His Beauty.

Ken