Beauty for Ashes

Isaiah 61:3 [Full Chapter] (via BibleGateway)

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. 

 

 

I'm still kicking.  And dear readers I apologize for my writing hiatus.  I have spent these past few months unloading my to-do list.  For months I had promised to send support emails for my dear friend's EmbRace Healing campaign and petition, to review resumes and send professional development resources, and even to reconnect with my various church groups and ministries.  And as the backlog of "to-do" items increased, my quiet time with the Lord decreased.  I became very unproductive!  And that frustrated me to no end.

 

I decided it was time to prioritize.  As I handled my business (so to speak) the voice of the Lord rang louder each day.  And here I am, thankful for this space to unload, unwind, and maybe even minister from time to time. 

(See that's me!)

On Saturday, I returned to Daystar Atlanta to serve on the prophetic team.   A sister duo entered the appointment room with a desire to hear an encouraging word from the Lord.  After a few moments of prayer and contemplation, I received an image.  I saw one sister walking out in front of a large group.  She was leading her family.  She was carrying a large backpack.  Unfortunately, the backpack was filled with heavy stones.  For a long time, this sister was able to carry the stones.  But now, she had grown weary.  

I saw the Lord approach her.  He wanted to trade.  He instructed me to tell her that instead of stones, he wanted to give her a toolkit filled with resources from heaven to face life's obstacles.  For each stone, He would trade her an arrow - a targeted strategy - for dealing with sickness, debt, and other concerns.  He asked her though, "Do you want it?"

The Lord is a gentleman.  He doesn't force or impose His will on us.  We are allowed to say no (free will) and He will back off.  But in the end we all know what happens.  Each space that we deny God access to becomes an idol, stumbling block, or other damaging dimension of our lives.  How long do we strive with a backpack full of stones when God wants to hand us exactly what we need to overcome?

So as I start this blogging journey for 2015, I have to ask - Will I, will you, allow God to impart beauty (good things) in exchange for the ashes (dead and hurt places) in our lives?