Beauty for Ashes

Isaiah 61:3 New Living Translation (NLT)

³ 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.

I always read this verse and thought, “What a beautiful figure of speech. God takes the broken, destroyed things in my life and can make them beautiful.” What I didn’t know is that God does it physically too. Last week, a huge ash cloud settled over our valley, ash drifted through the air, in what moviemakers show to be the end of the world. It swirled around and collected on cars, railings, sidewalks. My family felt it with every breath – headaches and weariness consumed us. Our world was grey and dim and felt so heavy. My eyes burned from just being open and I was quite prone to tears – not that that’s a big stretch normally, but I could feel the difference. In the midst of this gross depressing atmosphere, my child said it best,” Wow, the sun is so amazing. I can look directly at it and it’s so beautiful!” And it was. A glorious orange ball in the day.  Awe inspiring pinks and purples as it set. I could see the outline of the sun and, for a few seconds, look it straight in the face. What a wonderful illustration of God.

When we are in the midst of ash, our world grey and we can hardly breathe, God is there – visible in a way that is unique and beautiful. Does it make the ash go away? No, but this magnificence is only possible because of the combination of ash and God, of destruction and light. This is true in my life. I never see God so clearly as when I am coming through trouble. And I think God knows this, cause he made me this way. He lets the wreck happen until we come to him. Then he says, “Now watch and see what I will do.” So we watch, look God in the face and see him as we’ve never seen him before. It gives us hope and joy and an overwhelming appreciation and love. We see the beauty that comes from the ash.

And that’s, I think, part of the answer to why God allows suffering in the world – in innocent lives and unexpected places – so that he can show us how he can redeem even the most horrifying of events, how ash becomes beautiful.