When the light of Jesus meets our brokenness, we can see beauty. Read Isaiah 61:1-3. On "KPop Demon Hunters", Rumi sings, “We broke into a million pieces, and we can't go back. But now I'm seeing all the beauty in the broken glass.” Finding beauty in the brokenness is a biblical theme going all the way back to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah wrote to those who were grieving that God would “bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes.” I first discovered the beauty-to-ashes verse when I heard Christian artist Crystal Lewis sing, “He gives beauty for ashes, Strength for fear, Gladness for mourning, Peace for despair.” When I went to my Bible, I read the verse in context. There were two powerful concepts. First, Isaiah was writing to the exiles after the Babylonian army destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. Thousands were taken north into exile, thousands were dead, thousands fled south to become refugees. The people were broken and defeated. They lost everything, including hope. In their minds, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had failed to protect them. God used Isaiah to send a message of hope to those who were broken. Second, Jesus used this passage to announce that he was the Messiah. He read Isaiah 6:1-2 in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim 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.”
Rumi paints a picture of hope in the brokenness. The light touches the broken glass and becomes beautiful. For Christians, Jesus is the light that shines in the darkness. When the light of Jesus shines on the brokenness of our inward being, there is beauty. What are you going through today? May you find hope in Jesus. Let his light shine in your brokenness.
Prayer: Lord, you are still here. Forgive us when we doubted. We give our brokenness to you. Transform our ashes into something beautiful. Give us strength, gladness, and peace. Amen.
