by Rev Douglas Brauner

Grace declares us splendid in the sight of God.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”
Isaiah 62:3 English Standard Version

Isaiah was given the privilege of seeing the day when the people of Israel would return to their homeland from exile in Babylon. However, before he saw the day of God’s mercy, the Lord gave him the ability to see their destruction. They would be taken captive to Babylon because of their sin. Their land would be desolate, and Jerusalem destroyed.

Black Forest Regional Park, Black Forest Colorado

If you’ve read the Praying With The Eyes blogs then you’ve read about the forest fires that have destroyed much of the beauty of the Pikes Peak region. I took this picture at the Black Forest Regional Park just north of Colorado Springs. If you follow me on Instagram, or Facebook, you’ve seen pictures that I have taken from this park. Brown was the predominant color when I made these visits.

We’ve had some good rain falls recently, and even though we didn’t receive much moisture from snow this year, thunderstorms have brought the land, scarred by fire, back to life. I have never seen so many wildflowers, grasses, and green kinnikinnick growing around the stumps of the blackened pine trees.

There is beauty in the hand of God even in a scarred land.

The Bible makes it clear that we were dead in our sin, but God made us alive. Even though the scars of sin remain, God has declared us beautiful in his sight. Sin killed Jesus so that we might live. The ugliness of his death has made us “a crown of beauty” in the hand of the Lord.

Instead of focusing on the scars, let’s look to the truth of who we are in Christ. Today, we are “a crown of beauty” in his hand.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado