DAILY DEVOTIONAL 2
Pastor David Woolverton
To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy 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. – Isaiah 61:3 (NIV)
“BEAUTY FROM ASHES”
Throughout my childhood and teenage years, I always imagined myself becoming a doctor. I loved the sciences and had set my sights on medicine from an early age. But during high school, something began to shift. Encouraged by my brothers and teachers, I discovered a love for music, theater, and leadership. By my senior year, I was elected Student Council President, a role that required me to speak weekly to hundreds of my peers. Though public speaking didn’t come naturally at first, something inside me came alive as I stood before them each Monday morning, leading assemblies
Then came a devastating fire. The main building of our high school—the heart of our campus—was destroyed. Watching it burn was heartbreaking. In the aftermath, the local United Methodist church opened its doors to us, offering their Sunday School rooms for our classes and their sanctuary for our assemblies. I remember taking personally the role of bringing hope and direction to my fellow classmates in the face of loss.
Years later, I stumbled across my high school yearbook. There, in my senior photo, taken in the wake of the fire, I was standing at that pulpit––the place where every Monday morning I would lead the gatherings. It was a moment of great clarity. I wasn’t just leading assemblies in high school—I was stepping into God’s calling for my life. Though I couldn’t see it at the time, God was using those moments to prepare me for ministry. Only God could take the ashes of a fire and turn them into the foundation of a lifelong purpose.
REFLECTION QUESTION:
Where in your life have you experienced “ashes”—moments of loss or brokenness––and how might God be working to bring beauty and purpose from those experiences?
PRAYER:
Lord, You are the God who brings beauty from ashes. Thank You for weaving Your purpose into our lives, even when we can’t see it at the time. Open our eyes to Your redemptive work and help us trust in Your perfect plan. May we embrace the calling You have prepared for us in Jesus’s name. Amen.