Beauty from Ashes - Martin Wiles

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. Isaiah 61:3 NLT

As unlikely as it may have seemed, beauty from ashes came.
 

In 2016, massive wildfires burned 2460 structures and destroyed 17,136 acres of land in and around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The fire started on Chimney Tops Trail a few miles south of Gatlinburg off Highway 441. Fourteen people died from the fires, and another 190 received injuries. Damage caused by the fires was estimated at $500 million. But beauty resulted.

Residents in the area came together. Engineers constructed two attractions high on the mountaintops on either side of the main highway meandering through Gatlinburg. On one side of the highway, they built Gatlinburg Skybridge—a 680-foot suspension bridge that spans two mountains and has one glass section. On the other side of the highway rests Anakeesta Mountain. Here, builders constructed restaurants, shops, a mountain roller coaster, garden paths, and a swinging wooden bridge that takes visitors through the tree tops.

Although evidence of the fires remains, beauty has overtaken the ugliness the fires initially left. Forest fires—whether wild or controlled—benefit the ecosystem. Dead trees and decaying matter need removing, and fires accomplish this by releasing nutrients held captive by old vegetation and returning them to the soil.  

Through the prophet Isaiah, God told His people their mourning would one day end. He would take the ashes of their lives and form a crown of beauty from them, much as architects did in the areas around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

Ashes are a natural part of our lives. They come from financial struggles, bankruptcy, divorce, crimes, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, rebellious children, lost jobs, death, disease, illness. But God has a way of turning our ashes into beautiful things when we respond in the appropriate way.

As architects and builders had the ability to restore and renew the mountains, so God has the power to take what we perceive as devastating and make something beautiful from it. He possesses all the wisdom possible and can see the beginning, the ending, and everything in between.

Our part entails trusting God with our lives and our ashy situations. He has our best interests at heart and a plan for our lives and this world. We may never understand it entirely, but we can step aside and let Him do His work.

God won’t force Himself or His plan on us. Residents and landowners could have chosen to let the ugliness of the wildfires remain. But they decided to act. When we act by turning our lives and our situations over to God, He will bring beauty from our ashes.

Give your ashes to God and watch what He does.

Prayer: Father, thank You for taking the ashes of our lives and making something beautiful from them. 

Tweetable: Do you see the beauty in your ashes? 

Thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram. Help us spread God's encouragement through His Love Lines.

God’s Renewal - Martin Wiles

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” Revelation 21:5 NLT

Wildfires had nearly ravaged this popular tourist attraction.

My wife and I made our way to a conference in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Due to the heavy traffic and construction on the interstate, we decided to take the scenic route through Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Several months before, wildfires set by pranksters had threatened to destroy this popular tourist destination, along with parts of nearby Pigeon Forge. We were eager to see the damage. To our surprise, we saw very little.

As we neared Gatlinburg, the bottoms of burned trees were the only giveaway that fires had marched through the forests. Lush, green grass grew two feet high. Though trees were burned at their bottoms, the tops burst forth with new life. Things almost seemed greener and more alive than normal.

Driving through Gatlinburg, we saw only a few burned buildings. Most that had suffered damage had already been repaired. “Gatlinburg Strong” was plastered on marquis, shirts, cups, and other souvenir items. The will of the people had renewed what the wildfire attempted to destroy.

God told John He had the same power, and, in the end, would renew all things. The tainted earth, like scorched Gatlinburg, would be renewed.

Evil attempts to destroy the beauty God originally created. While it may appear it has the upper hand, God is still in control. Exactly why He allows it to continue when He could easily extinguish it is a question He hasn’t chosen to answer. But the end of the story reminds us who’s in control.

God’s in the renewal business. When Satan attempts to thwart God’s purposes for my life through temptations and trials, God reminds me there’s no temptation so great that He can’t show me a way through. When the trials are so intense that it appears they will destroy my soul, God sends relief in one form or another. He causes green to grow where blackness once spread.

All God asks of me is to let Him control my life and my situations. When I do, He will renew what Satan seems to have destroyed. He will redeem disappointing and discouraging situations and then use me to help others experience the same redemption. And He’ll do the same for you.

Let God bring renewal where the fires of this world have brought destruction.

Tweetable: Are you letting God renew what seems to have been destroyed?

Prayer: Father, we trust You to renew what Satan and others appear to have destroyed. 

Looking for a wide selection of genres in inspirational books at discount prices? Click here to see selections.

Thanks to all our faithful followers who are "sharing" our posts--please keep it up! We also invite you to follow and like us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. Help us spread God's Word.