“To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3)
I love the above passage. This is what God wants to do for His people. To exchange their brokenness, the ashes of their lives, lost dreams, failures and give them beauty in exchange.
It is interesting that praise overcomes the spirit of heaviness. Shifting our focus from the problem to the problem solver always brings peace, joy and calm in the midst of the storms of life.
“O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.” (Isaiah 54:11)
He is the one who comforts us in the midst of tempests and restores the believer to beauty. In Jesus Christ we have been made righteous through his sacrifice. When we believe he died, was buried and rose again and trust in Him for our salvation we exchange our brokenness for His righteousness.
“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).
Rising to Hope 