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Summer 2009 Devotional
Beauty for Ashes
What was the very worst moment of your life? Was it a moral failure? Or perhaps someone abused or misused you? For some of us it is the pain of infertility or the crashing of a disastrous marriage or the bitter fruit of our own choices.
As women, we tend to carry around the residue of these horrific circumstances as some sort of last-place trophy or defining moment. God knew that you would indeed live through your absolute worst moment. He knew the pain that it would cause you and the agony that would haunt you for the rest of your life. God has a plan for your pain and He does not expect you to wear it around your neck as some vile reminder of your failure.
God’s plan for the worst moment of your life is to turn it into something splendid … something beautiful … something of immeasurable value.
“Giving them beauty for ashes …” – Isaiah 61:3
What a deal! This is the most incredible bartering system that has ever been offered to anyone in all of recorded history! God wants you to give to Him your unmatched despicable moment … and He will crown you with beauty instead. This word for “beauty” in the Hebrew actually means a royal headpiece or a tiara.
Instead of making this grand exchange … we walk through life with ashes in our heart … ashes in our minds … ashes all over our faces. We use our regret and failures as some sort of badge of martyrdom rather than simply scooping up our ashes and laying them at His feet. When God has possession of your ashes, He gently steps over them and places a crown of glory on your head.
Do you have a smudge of ash on your nose? Wipe it off and give it to Him once and for all. When God is involved – the worst moment of your life defiantly becomes your crowning moment!
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