“To give them beauty for ashes…” (Is. 61:3).
Ashes are the only thing left when dreams go up in smoke.
A young woman enters marriage full of high hope and a wonderful dream. The marriage sours, the hope is shattered, the dream is gone; she is left looking at a pile of ashes.
A young man goes into business with aspirations of greatness. Errors in judgment, changing tides, wrong decisions, and he goes bankrupt. Ashes!
Good health, good friendships, good plans for the future can all go up in flames overnight leaving nothing but the blackened ashes of disappointment, disillusionment, and despair.
This observation may seem gloomy and depressing, but it doesn’t have to be. There is an answer. Only the Lord can turn ashes into a thing of beauty. He can take any broken situation, mend it, and make it into an object of art, a thing of beauty, a joy forever.
If you are “burned out,” don’t wallow in the ashes of self-pity. Let the Lord take over your life from here on. See what He will do with it. His creativity will surprise you!
Faced with ashes, we humans tend to finalize by concluding: “Well, that’s it; it’s all over. There’s nothing left.” In this verse, the Lord steps in and literally makes something out of nothing. He has the ability to take our worst losses and turn them into powerful displays of divine beauty!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Dick Mills was ordained at The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in 1949. He and his wife Betty traveled as evangelists all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, and Australia. Dick and Betty are now home in heaven.
In 1966 Dick and Betty became a part of the then-emerging Charismatic Renewal. Passing through all denominational barriers, Dick has had the opportunity to speak in thousands of churches of varied backgrounds all over the world.
He ministered within several Christian organizations, including the Full Gospel Business Men, Women's Aglow, Inter-church Renewal Catholic Pentecostals, mainline Charismatic groups, CBN and TBN television networks, and many other independent Christian TV stations.
Dick appeared on numerous radio talk shows, written several magazine articles, and spoke at many Bible conferences and universities. He served as an adjunct professor at six Schools of the Bible and Seminaries.
In addition, Dick authored and co-authored several books and tapes. Dick's ministry was characterized by the unique gifts God has blessed him with. His services informed, enlightened, and motivated people to a higher level of commitment to God.