Most of us know this scripture from Isaiah 61:

"He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

As I went through a time of darkness and difficulty a few years ago, I realized that this was one of those many scriptures that you mentally ascent to but the heart has no real understanding. I think we all have those. They are different because we are in different places and have different journeys. When I went through my difficult time I found that even after many years of serving God, I did not believe in the completeness of God's forgiveness. I served the Lord well for 40 years yet I had trouble believing that God could ever use me again.

Well, the Good news is that God is in the business of restoration. He can build something beautiful out of the ashes. It does require the road of repentance, which is a hard, often painful road. I took that road and he has blessed me beyond measure.

No matter where you are or where you've been you can reach out to Jesus. Be assured He is already reaching out to you. Let him take those smoldering ashes and make something beautiful. updated on ReverbNation, the app will keep you updated in real time. The Les and Friends app is free.