Beauty Will Rise

Today was such a blessed day - worship at church, a powerful sermon, and a delightful lunch/afternoon with my pastor and his family, followed by the opportunity to pray at a memorial for 9/11/01.

All day, I thought of the song, "Beauty Will Rise", and how it says, "Out of these ashes/beauty will rise". That is what I felt today, and that's what I prayed about at the event, which I am re-posting here.


I am one of those people who prays about everything, including what to pray. So this past week, I've been asking God to direct my heart and thoughts. I mean, what do I have to say? What happened ten years ago today has no words. Every time I checked my phone or calendar, I saw those digits - 9-11 - and was struck by them. Pain will often unite people more than anything else, and today, I see many differences being put outside in order that we would come together and just remember. But I also believe that we need to look ahead. In the Bible, the prophet Isaiah writes that we will be given a crown of beauty out of our ashes, and John speaks of a light that shines into the darkness.

At church this morning, my pastor talked about the picture in his office, where beams of light formed a cross around the twin towers. It reminded me of what Corrie Ten Boom wrote in her account of the Holocaust, the Hiding Place. She was asking God where He was in the middle of the tragedy, and then she saw it: the cross of Jesus Christ etched forever into all of human history. In Christ we have life and hope that the Lord is sovereign. He is in control. We don't know if we will wake up tomorrow and live another day, but those who are right with God through the saving power of Jesus are guaranteed a place in His house today, tomorrow, and forever. And it is by this knowledge, by this grace, God's free gift of freedom, life, and hope to each and every one of us, that I am welcomed into His presence to pray:

Lord, thank You for being sovereign and so faithful. As we remember the events from ten years past, let us not forget that ultimately, our lives are in Your hands. Your word says that You are with those who mourn and comfort the afflicted. But more than anything else, Father I pray that You would use this as a wake up call to us. Only You, Lord are forever. We are just a vapor in time here briefly and then gone. But You are the God who was, who is, and who will be. And You loved us enough to come in the person of Jesus and die for all of our sin and failures. You took that upon Yourself that we would know You. Holy Spirit, speak into our hearts the truth of Christ. Let us come to You, in full recognition that we do not know what comes next, but that we can trust fully in You. We are invited into a relationship with Jesus, to know Him as our personal Savior, and let that be our source of joy, hope, peace, and restoration. Because You have said that if Your people would humble themselves and pray, You will restore their land. Lord, today I pray for remembrance - not just of the victims, but further back, to the cross, to Christ, through whom we are saved and redeemed. I praise You for You abundant blessings, for Your promises to us, and for who You are. You are sovereign, Lord, let this be our cry. In Jesus' name, Amen.

(Although this song is about the death of the Chapman's daughter, I feel it is also a great song for today)



“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
And they shall rebuild the old ruins,
They shall raise up the former desolations,
And they shall repair the ruined cities,
The desolations of many generations.
Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,
And the sons of the foreigner
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.
But you shall be named the priests of the LORD,
They shall call you the servants of our God.
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,
And in their glory you shall boast.
Instead of your shame you shall have double honor,
And instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion.
Therefore in their land they shall possess double;
Everlasting joy shall be theirs.
“ For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery for burnt offering;
I will direct their work in truth,
And will make with them an everlasting covenant.
Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles,
And their offspring among the people.
All who see them shall acknowledge them,
That they are the posterity whom the LORD has blessed.”
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
My soul shall be joyful in my God;
For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its bud,
As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth,
So the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Isaiah 61