He promised me

Isaiah 61:1 "...He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 ...to comfort all who mourn, 3 to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...."

Beauty for ashes. It's one of His promises I have come to cherish the most. I believe that the more deeply we have experienced the anguish of a life seemingly destroyed by unbearable circumstances, the greater degree to which we can experience hope in this promise.

I'll never forget the tapestry illustration. In a message I heard just days after I became widowed, my very wise and eloquent pastor compared life to a tapestry. He explained that here on earth we can only see the back side of the tapestry, with frayed clumps of string dangling everywhere, imperfect stitches all knotted up and messy. But God is on His throne working on the most glorious work of art we could ever imagine. He is using everything we perceive as ugly and imperfect in our lives, weaving all of it into His design, making His handiwork all the more beautiful. He sees His artwork in its entirety, and from His viewpoint, it's magnificent. The tapestry analogy brought untold comfort during a time when all I could see around me was the smoldering ruins of a life I had once thought to be solid.

But He promised me beauty for ashes. He said He would turn my mourning into joy and replace my heavy spirit with one of praise. He was sent to comfort me, to heal my broken heart, and to set me free. Now, those are promises to cling to in the midst of turmoil. What else can we do when things seem infinitely hopeless? Living through a trial, if we've sought God along the way, the beauty of His plan eventually becomes apparent to us. We might not understand all He's doing, but as He continually blesses us during the painful times, we develop a trust in the sovereignty of His master plan.

In spite of the progress I've made, though, I still have days when life's problems seem insurmountable. I look around and find myself back to a place where I can see nothing but the ash heap, and the haze in the air masks all the beauty in my life. It's not easy on these days to remember and cling to His promises. Today has been one of those days for me. But He is ever faithful in clearing the air, and this morning He did it by blessing me with a scripture from a good friend:

Psalm 138:8  The Lord will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever; do not forsake the works of Your hands.

So, I am back to clinging. I will surrender my worries to Him. He is perfecting that which concerns me. He is making everything beautiful, and I will trust Him. Beauty for ashes...I will rest in this promise today.