It was the day the world went wrong
I screamed ’til my voice was gone
And watched through the tears as everything
Came crashing down
Slowly panic turns to pain
As we awake to what remains
And sift through the ashes that are left behind
But buried deep beneath
All our broken dreams
We have this hope:
Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning
in the morning, beauty will rise
So take another breath for now,
And let the tears come washing down
And if you can’t believe I will believe for you
Cause I have seen
the signs of spring!
Just watch and see:
Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of these ashes…beauty will rise
For we know, joy is coming in the morning
In the morning
I can hear it in the distance
And it’s not too far away
It’s the music and the laughter
Of a wedding and a feast
I can almost feel the hand of God
Reaching for my face
To wipe the tears away, and say
“It’s time to make everything new”
“Make it all new”
This is our hope
This is the promise
This is our hope
This is the promise
That it would take our breath away
To see the beauty that’s been made
Out of the ashes
Out of the ashes
That it would take our breath away
To see the beauty that He’s made
Out of the ashes…
Out of the ashes…
Out of these ashes… beauty will rise
And we will dance among the ruins
We will see Him with our own eyes
Out of this darkness…new life will shine
And we’ll know the joy is coming in the morning
In the morning…beauty will rise
Oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, Beauty will rise
Oh, oh, oh, Beauty will rise
~ Steven Curtis Chapman, songwriter and singer ~
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Steven Curtis Chapman is no stranger to tragedy. Of all people, he knows ashes and he knows the beauty that God can make out of the ashes of tragedy and loss and suffering. On May 21, 2008, Steven’s youngest daughter, Maria, was killed in their front yard, by a vehicle driven by their son. She was the youngest of the three girls the Chapmans had adopted from China; she was a vital part of the family, loved and adored by all.
In the days and week to come, Steven thought about leaving the music industry altogether. Then God came to him, and inspired him to make music out of his pain. That just maybe his mess that became his ministry would help others see that there is hope and healing in His name. And it became his mission to SEE God in the details of this.
Since Maria was from China, they traveled there and opened a home for special needs orphans called “Maria’s Big House of Hope” where children can live and be ministered to and loved. Because of the tragedy of losing her, tens of thousands of children will be saved from life-threatening illnesses and have a place to call home, with loving nannies and nurses and doctors to care for them. Beauty from ashes, right? And, while they were there, the whole family went to visit the site of that terrible earthquake of 2008, where over 70,000 people lost their lives. and left 5,000,000 homeless. The Chapman family knew loss and they were able to relate to these people who had lost their sons and daughters, their mothers and fathers. And the only comfort that they knew to share was God’s comfort through Scripture. So they shared with the people of China God’s unconditional love—that even in earthquakes, He never left them.
Through the ashes, like those left behind in the earthquake, beauty will rise. New buildings are built; new homes, beautiful new streets and sidewalks. And also new life with God. After every tragedy, our relationship with God gets stronger because He is our Comforter and He never leaves us. He can make beautiful out of ugly. I know this and believe this…He is able!
Isn’t this like the Cross? It was painful, hurtful, unfair and i’m sure the crown of thorns hurt and the day was dark. But then Hope was raised from the dead, and new life…eternal life was birthed! And now we will live in eternity with Him forever! Because Jesus died, we will live. Because of the darkness, we see light and God will alway make something beautiful out of our ashes.
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Let us pray: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You so much for taking our tragedies and turning them into triumphs! Out of the ugly messes we get ourselves in, Lord, You can use them to reach others for the Kingdom. Sometimes our messes become our ministries ;and we are better equipped to help our fellow-travelers who may also be struggling. Beauty from Ashes…only You have the ability and only You know what we need. In loss, You never leave us, and as we put one foot in front of the other, You fill us with Your strength and courage. Thank You for not leaving us the way we are. And thank You for the ultimate beautiful Redeemer and Savior You sent to die in our place so that we can live a full life and live forever with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
