We are just coming to the beginning of the wet season here in Australia, and it has been a very dry winter, as usual. The weather has turned ‘summer hot,’ but the rains haven’t yet started. The dry season has left everything looking parched and brittle. Our landlords are lovely folks and have encouraged my desire to keep the grass immediately around our house green throughout the dry season. I diligently move the sprinklers around our house in my constant battle to keep the grass watered. I love walking in the green grass, but it also helps to keep the dust down from the surrounding paddocks. In some of these photos, you can see where the reach of my hose ends, and the dry grass and fields begin. 😊 Like most years, we have to contend with bushfires, controlled burn-offs, and a lot of smoke in the air. We are finishing our first year in this house, and this time we got to experience it a bit more up close and personal. A few weeks ago, I walked out on the back verandah to discover the nearby paddock was on fire. On closer inspection, I realized that it was under control and the fire was set on purpose, so I wasn’t fearful (though you can see I did turn my trusty sprinkler on, just in case). 
Once the fire died down and all the smoke had dissipated, the landscape looked black and a bit bleak, and there was a lingering unpleasant smell; reminders of the harsh experience the land had just endured. Each day as I drove out the driveway, I noticed that blackened landscape, but I didn’t give it much thought. My mind was usually focused on what I was teaching that day or the audiobook I was listening to as I drove. One morning, a week or so later, something different suddenly caught my attention. Bright green shoots were bursting out all over that black, ‘ruined’ soil. I was genuinely shocked that it had happened so quickly. We hadn’t had rain, but the grass that was pushing up through the ashes was deeper and richer in color than the grass I had diligently tended all winter long. The burning off of the old vegetation not only created nutrient-rich ash to fertilize the soil, but it also opened up the way for more sunlight to get through to the dormant seeds and underground root systems. Suddenly, a phrase from this passage in Isaiah popped into my mind:
When I saw that vivid green regrowth, I immediately thought, “God gives beauty for ashes.”
I began thinking about how God uses the refining fire to burn off the superficial or less important elements in our lives that are dead or hindering our spiritual growth. Don and I have gone through quite a few fires over the years. Some felt like out-of-control bushfires and others like more manageable controlled burns. Every time, though, they were both painful and uncomfortable in a variety of ways. We’ve thought, “What good could come of this?” But time and again, we have seen that God has a way of bringing new growth from the remains of what has been lost, burned away, or painfully altered. The invasive weeds are gone, and the deep roots of our faith are strengthened from the ashes and the sunlight. Did you know that some seeds have hard coatings that only crack open when exposed to high heat? Others respond directly to chemical compounds found in wood smoke, which signal that the ground is clear and ready for germination. God is a Master Designer! I wonder how often God produces results in us that couldn’t come about without that high heat or smoke? It’s a familiar verse for many of us, but how often do we forget its singular truth?
If you’ve been going through the burning season, or are currently staring at some blackened or desolate landscape in your life, let me encourage you to take heart. What looks bleak and barren today may not remain barren forever. The Lord knows how to bring fresh life out of scorched ground. He knows how to comfort those who mourn, strengthen the weary heart, and grow something deeper and greener than what was there before. We may not always want or understand the fire, but we can trust the One who promises to give beauty for ashes. Blessings,
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