Beauty for Ashes
To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. Isaiah 61:3
This verse, written hundreds of years before Jesus appeared on earth, is probably one of the more popularly cited verses in the bible. The term beauty for ashes has been written and spoken about in books and articles and speeches by hundreds if not thousands of pastors, authors, motivational speakers and everyday folks like you and me for millennia. It's been used to inspire, prophesy and prepare countless readers for things to come.
Essentially, it is an encouraging prophecy letting us know that no matter what we have gone through, the hope of something even better lies ahead. But I'm getting ahead myself.
You may better understand what ashes are if:
You’ve ever lost a loved one or had to say good-bye too soon,
You’ve ever received a bad medical diagnosis, faced the fear of the unknown, and felt the effects of disease and pain...
You’ve ever set at the bedside of a dying friend, and held a hand that once was strong, whose life had been cut short from the ravages of some disease, maybe even COVID-19…
Of course, there are many other types of ashes we may experience in life. Particularly right now during this crazy pandemic all of us have been going through, many may describe it as a time of ashes.
But there is hope. God promises His children that there is something that we can hope for; BEAUTY!
God's truth says this: He was there. In the midst of it all.
And though we may not always see it, or feel it, or even understand it, we can know beyond a doubt, that He is now. Still. He is with us.
In the apostle Paul's letter in the new testament book of Romans, he wrote in the chapter 8 of one of the ways God works in our lives, even during the most-of-the-time terrible episodes of ashes. He wrote in verse 28 of that chapter: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
One of the most powerful words in that verse is the word everything. God causes everything to work together, including the ashes!
Right now, no matter what you're going through, no matter the loss, lack, sickness, disease, loneliness or conflict, God can and will use it for good. That is, if you have relationship with Him. And there's only one way for that to happen. That is through Jesus, His Son.
At Lighthouse Christian School, we are categorically Christian first. While our mission as a school is to find the specific way a child learns and then to teach them, our desire is to see each of our students, teachers and staff learning about the grace and gift of salvation through Jesus Christ.
Repent and receive this gift today.
