Distraction of Devastation

Distraction of Devastation

He gives beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Isaiah 61:3

Standing on the shore of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake took my breath away. The unique turquoise color is unlike any other lake or river. The color comes from what is called ‘rock flour ‘. It’s sediment from glaciers ground down so fine that it suspends in the water and reflects light back at you in blue and green. It’s in the rivers and waterfalls but most obvious in the lakes. From the moment we entered Waterton, Lake Louise, Jasper, and Banff, one mile you’re pulled over at a waterfall, the next mile you are gazing at an amazing mountain vista, crested in snow and bordering breathtaking lakes.

The hard part of the trip was when the landscape changed, and thick green forest became a sea of charred trunks standing in rows, scarred by wildfire. It’s strange to drive through beauty and devastation back-to-back, and sometimes even in the same view.

But as I looked more closely at the burned land, I saw life in the devastation. Fireweeds push up first, and some even have tall spikes of pink-purple flowers. Then, in some areas, lodgepole pine trees have begun to grow. These trees have cones sealed with resin and won’t open to release their seeds until fire melts that seal. In fact, the very thing that destroyed the land is what unlocked new growth. The forest has to have a fire to begin flourishing.

Isaiah 61:3: God promises to give His people “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

Isaiah says beauty for ashes isn’t just a metaphor. You can see God’s rejuvenation through these fires. It reminds me that He has brought and will bring new life through some of my fires.  Sometimes the fire is a loss, a health challenge, or a change in a relationship. God is faithful, and restoration doesn’t happen immediately. But hold on, because He never leaves you.

Just as turquoise lakes and burned forests can exist side by side in the same valley, I want to look for the beauty God might be bringing out of the ashes in your life, or in mine.

Prayer

Lord, thank You that You don’t waste anything, not even the fire. For the scarred places I’m still healing from, help me trust that You are already at work, preparing me for something new to grow. Give me eyes to see beauty among the ashes, even before I can see the flowers pushing through. Amen.