Beauty for Ashes

The Passion & Purpose Weekly // Beauty for Ashes

Isaiah 61:1 — 1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

One of the amazing things the Lord does in our lives is that He takes our ashes and, in His grace and love, makes them into something beautiful. Often when I talk with people about discovering what God is leading them to do, it is helpful to look back at what God has done in their lives, and so often, the places where we have encountered God’s redemption become places where we have grace and calling to help others do the same.

In this week’s episode of “Passion & Purpose,” I share a very tender story from my own life about encountering the Lord in a place of ashes and seeing Him bring redemption. This experience for me helped me to understand my own sense of calling and ministry assignment.

Listen: Beauty for Ashes

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