Isaiah 61:3 - “And provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.”
What a beautiful verse, a comforting verse, a verse of promise to those who are grieving, struggling today. It is also the promise of redemption, of taking the ashes, the mourning, the despair of your situation and redeeming them for good.
I have been reading in Genesis 29 and 30 about Jacob, Leah and Rachel, and thinking to myself, “what a mess!” These two wives vying for the same husband, offering up their servants so they can outdo each other in the number of children they bear him. It reads like an ongoing drama series on TV. And yet, from this mess came the 12 sons who God chose to birth the 12 tribes of Israel. God is not put off by our messiness. He can indeed make beauty from ashes.
God had already determined that out of the messy decisions that Jacob, Rachel and Leah made, He was going to build something beautiful, something permanent, something eternal. And He gives that promise to us as well in Romans 8:28-29, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”
There is nothing in your life that is too messy, too hard, too painful, too ugly, too shame-filled, too disgusting, that God cannot redeem for good in transforming you into the image of His Son. He uses it all, bringing it into the light, turning the ashes of your life into a beautiful eternal crown that you will lay at His feet when you meet Him.
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