Beauty From Ashes....

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them 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.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.

Isaiah 61: 1-4

This Scripture spoke to me today and I just wanted to share it with you. I am almost finished with Sudan - and if you know me you know that taking more than two days to read a book, ANY book, is NOT me at all!!! I read Atlas Shrugged in less than five days - and Gone With the Wind I read at least once a year in two or three! It is not the length of the book that is giving me trouble, it is the content. I just have to put it down and cry and throw up and hug my kids and wait a couple of days before I pick it up again. This book is getting to me y'all, like no other book I have ever read.

I'm still praying, still crying out to God about my part in the big picture of this issue. Today, He spoke comfort to me through the words of Isaiah. This passage is special to me anyway, because I memorized it years ago, about the time I truly began to walk with the Lord and give it all to Him. I was dealing with a lot of junk from my past and trying to let go of the pain and the guilt that always seemed to chase me around. He used this passage to speak to my soul then, and now He has used it again. I don't know what kind of relief there will be in this life for the people of the Sudan, but I know one thing.....one day there will be a day of vengeance. Not my vengeance, but the vengeance that belongs to the Lord. One day He alone will bestow on those who grieve a crown of beauty. One day He will take His stand upon the earth and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.

O what a day that will be!!