Find a quiet place where you can be still.
Settle into a comfortable position,
Allowing your body to rest in the presence of God.
Close your eyes and take a deep breath in through your nose and gently exhale through your mouth.
Again,
Inhale deeply and as you exhale,
Release the weight of today.
Let go of heaviness,
Let go of sorrow,
Let go of whatever is pressing on your heart.
You are not alone,
God is with you.
Isaiah 61.
3 says,
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
To give unto them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
That they might be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord,
That he might be glorified.
To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
To give unto them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
That they might be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord,
That he might be glorified.
Perhaps you are carrying grief,
Perhaps there are pieces of your heart that feel broken,
Perhaps life has left behind ashes,
Fragments of what was,
Memories of what could have been.
But God is a God of restoration.
He does not leave you in the ashes,
He does not abandon you in the sorrow.
Instead,
He rebuilds,
He restores,
He redeems.
Where there were ashes,
He brings beauty,
Where there was mourning,
He pours out joy.
Where there was heaviness,
He wraps you in a garment of praise.
Breathe that in,
Let it settle in your heart.
And now picture yourself standing in a field at sunrise.
The remnants of a fire lie before you,
Ashes scattered across the ground.
You feel the weight of all that has burned away,
Dreams,
Hopes,
Moments of the past.
But as you lift your gaze,
You see something new.
Among the ashes,
Flowers begin to bloom.
Slowly,
One by one,
Beauty begins to rise.
What was once lifeless is now full of color,
Full of hope,
Full of promise.
God is making something new,
Even here,
Even now.
Take a deep breath in,
And as you exhale,
Release the sorrow into His hands.
Breathe in His peace.
Breathe out the past.
Breathe in His joy.
Breathe out the mourning.
Breathe in His promise.
Breathe out the fear.
God is planting something within you,
Something strong,
Something enduring.
You are a tree of righteousness rooted in Him.
You will not be shaken.
Whisper this to yourself.
God is restoring me.
He is giving me beauty for ashes.
He is turning my mourning into joy.
God is restoring me.
He is giving me beauty for ashes.
He is turning my mourning into joy.
As you prepare to return to your day or drift into rest,
Carry this truth with you.
What has been lost is not the end of your story.
God is still writing.
God is still moving.
God is still bringing beauty from the ashes.
Take one final deep breath in,
And slowly exhale.
When you're ready,
Gently open your eyes and step forward in peace,
Knowing that your God is a God of redemption.
He is making all things new.
Amen.
