“They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated…” Isaiah 61:14
I love ancient ruins. My poetic soul sees them as mysterious and ethereal. It is almost as if they were alive and wanted to tell their story.
However, in our lives, ancient ruins are not majestic and beautiful. They are reminders of tragedies or hardship we have endured. They keep us from living the present in peace and do not allow us to dream of the future.
Most people at some point in their lives go through some tremendous hardship. Some people choose to live among the rubble and never heal. Some sweep away the rubble but leave the surrounding area barren. The ruins are glorified as a reminder but nothing new is built. Surface healing has taken place, but new life hasn’t been really restored. Others sweep away the rubble and build many new structures, but a few of the ruins were never knocked down. Perhaps they have been forgotten, but they are still there. Although, new life surrounds them, the ruins themselves were not restored. Then there are those blessed few who have torn down the ruins and have rebuilt the original structure to be a hundred times stronger and more beautiful than before.
However, we need to realize that we can’t rebuild the ancient ruins ourselves. If we do, they will only topple again. They have to be rebuilt and restored for us. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can take what was in ruins and give new life. Only he “can bestow on us a crown of beauty instead of ashes.” (Isaiah 61:3)
My Lord, My God, rebuild MY ancient ruins and restore MY places long devastated!
Thanks so much for this post. I found it very encouraging today. Look forward to reading more soon.
Thanks for stopping by Pete. I am happy that God used me to encourage you.
true that
Appreciate your fine illustration. It is a great reminder of what Christ can and wants to do in my life.
gsmartin, thanks for the warm words. May the Lord continue to be your guide.
augustonfire, I appreciate your comment.
Vera, this is beautiful. The Scripture that comes to my mind as I think of Christ rebuilding us is Colossians 3:3 “For you died, and your life is hidden with CHRIST in God.”
And then there is this from Robert Mulholland’s book on “The Deeper Journey:The Spirituality of Discovering Your True Self”. He would say all these ruins that are so painful to experience the tearing down of, are not our true self, but the only the false self that has to give away to the new.
The depeth of your writting contiues to surprise me, since your know that it is not my thing. Seems like your prayers(and mine) are starting to get answered as you are getting a few (everything has to start small,you know) good hits which indicate that God is using your blog to His Glory. Love, Herman Pa Bear