Beauty for Ashes “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.” Isaiah 61:3 Weary and worn, heart-broken and discouraged, Naomi drew close to Bethlehem. Memories of leaving here years before because of a famine filled her mind. Had it been the right thing to do? She thought of the graves of her husband and sons left now in Moab. She…
“And he must needs go through Samaria.” John 4:4 Shunned by the other women in the town, a lone woman made her way to Jacob’s well at noon time to draw water for her household. Broken and bruised by all that she had endured in her life, her only desire…
“I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.” Psalm 31:12 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17 I came across a story about a Japanese emperor who…