Beauty For Ashes

" The Spirit of the Lord God [will] ...grant (consolation and joy) to those who mourn in Zion-
to give them an ornament ( a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened and failing spirit- that they may be called oaks of righteousness ( lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God), the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."       ( Isaiah 61:1;3).




     Tragedies. Traumas. Trials and tribulations.  At times, it seems the world is inundated with such as these.  We can experience seasons where sorrow and sighing are our best attempt in communication as we don a shroud of heaviness as the cloak we wear.  We search for relief and deliverance from that which plagues us, yet it would appear that there is none to be found.  There are some wounds that leave a scar on our soul that can never be eradicated- the only option is healing and transformation.

     When the wound we carry is deep and private, the lonliness adds an additional weight. This can lead to a feeling of anxiety and desperation. At times, it can even feel like God is nowhere to be found. Oftentimes, throughout the Bible, the outward expression of such desperation included the use of ashes. The symbolism for ashes includes: debasement, desolation, ruin, mourning, mortality, and penance.  Ashes were the outward sign of an inward reality of devastation.

     Job is an example to us of one man's journey through incredible trauma.  Through no fault of his own, Job's pain became so crushing that he wanted to die and so unrelenting that he wished he had never been born.  His questions far outweighed his answers and yet he still found comfort in holding onto his faith.  He said, " It is still my consolation, and I rejoice in unsparing pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One."  ( Job 6:10).

     At the apex of Job's despair, we find him scraping the ashes off his wounds with a piece of pottery.  He is crying out- not in words, but with tears and groans and an overwhelming sense of wondering and despair.  ( Interestingly, when tears and ashes combine, they form the caustic solution of lye). Despite such toxicity and and futility, Job still managed to say, "though He slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him."  ( Job 13:15).

     Patience and unconditional trust in God were the choices Job made, even in the midst of sheer terror.  Even when every safe element of predictability had vanished.  Even when his life was irreparably shattered. Even then.

     It is fitting that ashes would be used to signify complete and utter distress. Ashes only exist due to:
fire, incineration, or combustion. In other words, the only way ashes can be produced is through a destructive process. And, a destructive process is also what they represent.

     It is exceedingly human at a time like this to ask the question, " Why does a loving God allow catastrophe in the lives of His beloved?" This answer could never come simply, and yet I do believe there are truths we can know with certainty from God's Word.  This is what God spoke to the prophet, Jeremiah: " Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know."  ( Jeremiah 33:3).

     If we are in Christ, we can be assured that we are never alone.  God promises us that He will never leave us or forsake us ( Hebrews 13:5).  We can also be assured that God never intends to hurt us or harm us.  He loves us, is compassionate toward us and is faithful to us ( Lamentations 3:22-23). However, there are certain lessons that can only be learned through suffering ( Hebrews 5:8).

     The things that happen to us never have the power to keep us in bondage.  It is our reactions and responses that keep us bound and tormented.  In extreme duress, many people become disillusioned and angry at God and walk away.  Others do not walk away from God,  but they can distance themselves emotionally from Him or fail to fully submit to Him. The best choice is to run to Him and cling to Him for comfort and knowledge and revelation.

     We can patiently learn to trust Him on deeper and deeper levels.  We can also learn to surrender, in faith, knowing He is omniscient and good.  When we hold onto Jesus, we will come to know Him as our: advocate, arbitrator, intercessor, redeemer, friend, healer, and deliverer.  This knowledge is the sustaining power in our valley of trouble.

     Even when we are at our most broken place, God has made us more resilient than any of us would like to imagine.  We can survive even the unimaginable.  His strength is perfected in our weaknesses and we are made whole.  His goodness promises that our suffering will not last forever (Isaiah 60:20).
God told Jeremiah, " I will turn their mourning into joy and will comfort them and give them joy for their sorrow." ( Jeremiah 31:13).

     When your heart is heavy and your soul is crushed, here are some scriptures you can declare over your life:

1 Peter 5:10   "after [I]  have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called [me] to His
                        eternal glory in Christ, will Himself  restore, confirm, strengthen and establish [me]."

Psalm 34:17-20  "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their
                             troubles.  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
                            Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all."

Psalm 147:3   "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

2 Corinthians 12:9  " But He said to me, ' My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made
                                  perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my
                                 weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Psalm 23:3  " He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His names sake."

James 5:16  " Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may
                       be healed.  The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."

Psalm 30:11  " You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth
                         and clothed me with gladness."

1 Peter 1:7   " So that the tested genuineness of your faith- more precious than gold that perishes
                       though it is tested by fire- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor
                       at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

3 John 1:2   " Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it
                      goes well with your soul."


     God is faithful to turn our destruction into victory.  Beauty is exuded when God turns around our adversities, transforms us, and is glorified through our lives.  He wipes away every one of our tears with kind, gentle, and loving strokes.  Not one tear goes unnoticed by Him. It is in these moments that we get to know our Savior in ways we never could have understood had we not experienced the sorrow of this world.  This is the moment when heaven kisses earth and the great exchange occur-we lean in and God takes our ashes and gives to us beauty in its stead. His beauty. What a marvelous Savior we have in Jesus!


" The dark moments of our life will last only so long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in us. "                                                                                                  Charles Stanley