With so much water from hurricanes Harvey, and now Irma, it’s hard to believe much of the West is burning down. If only we could collect the deluge and pour it on the wildfires!
As our family’s epic “Journey to Glacier” trip got closer, I became more aware of the wildfires in parts of Montana and the West. We hoped the smoke wouldn’t be an issue and it wasn’t. We saw no sign of the active forest fires that were raging, but we did see areas that had been burned in 2007. These areas were sad, yet beautiful. The new growth flowers and trees were coming on strong as they grew up in between dead, blackened stumps and skeletal trees. As we hiked through this interesting meadow, Jake noticed something really cool! Inside some of the hollow burned out trees, literally blackened and charcoaled by fire, birds had built nests. I guess life must go on even for the birds. Something ugly was made beautiful!
Isaiah 61 has some soothing words and good news for our burning down world! Bind up the brokenhearted. Freedom for captives. Release from darkness for prisoners. Comfort for those who mourn. Provisions for the grieving. Sounds good! In verse three, Isaiah goes on, “The Lord will bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and the garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” I love all those assurances! Who wants despair? Who likes to mourn? But when I saw the beautiful nest in the ashes of a tree at Glacier National Park, my mind went to the ‘beauty instead of ashes’ part.
A crown of beauty versus ashes.
Something beautiful versus ugly.
Something new and alive versus dead.
It is a no-brainer!
We all have ash heaps in our lives. We all have ugly parts of us. Even shriveled up dead parts. And I don’t want them, do you?
I went through my head thinking of people in the Bible who had ash heaps in their lives and most major characters have their own piles of shame and wrong. But then I came to Peter. He physically walked with this man Jesus. He physically ate with God the Son. He was so bold, he even cut a soldier’s ear off in defense of his Friend and Master. But when asked at a crucial time, “Do you know him?” “Do you follow him?” — he said no. He denied Him. And even though the fire Peter was standing by that night did not burn him, Peter turned to ash. Talk about regret. Talk about shame. Talk about guilt!
Interestingly, this was not a surprise to Jesus. I love Luke 22:31-32. All three sentences are powerful and thought-provoking.
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.”
What? That does not sound good! The devil has asked to put us through the wringer. To burn us down. Yikes!
“But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”
Jesus prays for us. He prays for our faith. He prays for our assurance of something we have not seen. Incredible!
“And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
Jesus knows we’re going to mess up. He knows we’re going to have ash heaps in our lives. But He calls us back. He calls us to trade His beauty of forgiveness and love for our ashes of wrong and guilt, and like David, proclaim, “Not to us, Lord, not to us! But to YOUR name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” (Psalm 115:1)
Beauty for ashes? I’ll take it all day long!
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