Beauty For Ashes: A Prayer For When You Grieve

Grief is a heavy thing to carry. If you’ve ever suffered loss — a parent, a child, a marriage — then you know. You understand the drag and the pull, spiritually, emotionally, even physically, as the sadness of the situation drains you of joy.

You may not be wearing black clothes of mourning, but you feel like there is a shroud over your very being, robbing you of hope, stealing you of life.

God Comforts Those Who Mourn

“‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me… He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted… To comfort all who mourn…'” Isaiah 61:1-2 NKJV.

There is a time to mourn. In times of loss, it’s healthy to acknowledge what’s been lost and allow ourselves a moment of grief. Sometimes our society rushes us along too fast. Sometimes those closest to us want us to move on too quickly, not grasping the emotional weight of a divorce or a miscarriage.

But if God is the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3), then He certainly understands those times when we need consolation, not condemnation. He understands the moments when the tears well up out of the blue and we need a good, long cry or simply to take a breath.

It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to mourn. What’s important is that we don’t stay in that place of mourning too long.

God Offers a Holy Exchange

Let’s read more in Isaiah 61:

“‘The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me… 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…” Isaiah 61:1-3.

The enemy may have robbed you, but God redeems you.

He offers a holy exchange to help you move past the pain and brokenness. Beauty for the ashes of a marriage that was supposed to last forever, the oil of joy for the grief of never holding your child in your arms. A garment of praise for the heaviness of having to accept what we cannot change.

It may seem unnatural to praise God in your pain. You may even feel guilty for enjoying a moment, for shedding your grave clothes too soon.

But when you receive God’s comfort, a beautiful thing happens. God is magnified. Not your loss, not the enemy of your soul — but God. The One who holds your life in His hands, the One of infinite understanding, the One who has come to bring you life. (John 10:10)

The Miracle — Beauty For Ashes

There is a story in the Bible in which a little girl dies. The grief-stricken father pleaded with Jesus to come and heal her, but when He arrived, she had already died.

He moved past the mourners and entered the room where she lay. Life was gone. All hope, it seemed, was gone.

“Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, ‘Talitha, cumi,’ which is translated, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise'” Mark 5:41.

When Jesus spoke the words, “Little girl, arise,” death fled. Life broke in. Grief was turned into a joyful celebration. The little girl came alive.

You may feel like that little girl — dead and cold inside with no will left to live. When all hope is lost and all joy drained from your soul, God is calling to you in your brokenness.

God is reaching out to you today and saying, “Talitha cumi. Little girl, arise!”

Arise from your bed of grief. Trade your ashes for His beauty. Arise and live. Put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

A Prayer For You

If you’ve been burdened with grief, here is a prayer you can pray to exchange your loss for His life. Let God get the glory, not loss, not death, not sickness or disease.

Father, I come to You with my heavy burdens. I bring my sadness, I bring my grief, I bring it all to You, and I ask You to comfort me in this broken place. Fill me with Your life! Let there be a holy exchange in my life today — my ashes for Your beauty, my grief for Your joy, my heaviness for Your garment of praise.

I lift my eyes to You. I praise You, Lord. I am thankful that in You, I have hope. In You, there is joy. Help me live again. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Something You Can Do

Are there others around you who are also suffering from loss? The Bible encourages us to comfort others with the same comfort we have received from God. Share these scriptures with them and help them to receive God’s help in their time of need.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.