“To bestow . . a crown of beauty instead of ashes.” Isaiah 61:3 NIV
“Tomorrow, not yesterday, is where your future is.”
My thoughts today are about “a grand exchange.”
Ashes! What do they suggest to you? Ashes are what’s left from the warming fire you previously enjoyed. Life can feel like that sometimes. You may fondly remember better days with a twinge of sadness when today seems less than you wish. Ever think, “Nothing will ever be the same again.” You are right. Nothing need be the same again; it can and should be better!
Thinking that the best is behind you is not very comforting or encouraging. Don’t try to live in yesterday’s successes or failures. The Bible advises, “Forgetting those things that are past and reaching for those things ahead.” Philippians 3:13. The past is meant to remain the past, not become the comparative measure of your tomorrows. Bad or best, hurtful or helpful, the past is never a good place to live. Tomorrow, not yesterday, is where your future is.
Here is God’s plan and promise – a grand exchange for something far better: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on Me . . to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor . . to bestow on (those who grieve) a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV.
Do you notice the wondrous exchange in those verses that God pledges to give? Your release is the invitation for His provision. You give Him your broken heart; you come to Him with your captivity; you come out of your darkness; you bring your cause for mourning; you offer Him your grief; you bring the ashes of yesterday; you confess your despair. A loving God takes all the things you don’t want or need, and exchanges them for everything you were without – releasing you into freedom, bringing you unequaled comfort, crowning you with beauty, anointing you with gladness, and clothing you in praise. That sounds like quite a deal to me.
It is significant that Jesus’ first miracle was at a wedding in the little village of Cana. Up until then, all had gone as planned, a joyous celebration, as it should be. Now, things were not the same as they had been. Their best had run out. What did Jesus do? He did the same then that He will do for you now – Jesus takes the most ordinary of things and exchanges them for things better than you can imagine. Here’s the testimony from those who experienced the miracle of exchange, “You have saved the best until now!” John 2:1-11NIV.
The best you have known will seem only ashes compared to the “crown of beauty” Jesus gives. You might have thought your life before Christ was one big party, as good as it gets, but the Bible says “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV. People seem to hold onto this world for dear life – as though this is all you get – yet nothing here could compare with what awaits the follower of Christ. Read Revelation 21:1-5 NLT.
My prayer for you today is that you give God opportunity to surprise and amaze you.