Your iPhone Is Your Enemy + “Dust and Ashes”
Dust & Ashes.
I am sure I’ve probably read the verse many times before, but recently, it has been observed on a new level and has tumbled through my mind on an almost daily basis. The verse is Genesis 18:27, “And Abraham answered and said, ‘Behold, now I have taken upon me to speak unto the LORD, which am but DUST and ASHES.’” Prior to this description of himself, verses 22 and 23 say of Abraham: “…but Abraham stood yet before the LORD and Abraham drew near…” There is a certain effect caused by “drawing near” to the Lord. There is a great sense of undone-ness the nearer I stand to Him. Growing up, my Pastor, Brother Tandberg would say, “The closer you get to the light, the more you see the dirt.” [12] The closer I draw to His glory, the more clearly I see the unworthiness in me; the more clearly and painfully I see the plight of my human condition. His glory and brilliance reveal to me the great divide between His goodness and my ‘badness,’ and cause me to humbly realize that ‘apart from Him, I can do nothing.’ WHICH AM BUT DUST AND ASHES. Words, deeply felt, from drawing close.
Another man, Job, spoke those words in the fire of affliction and adversity. All Job had – his human relationships, his symbols of success, and even the shelter of home had been stripped from him. Now, facing the grief of loss, the discouragement of friends, the disdain of a misunderstanding wife, and the pain of sickness, “he sat down among the ashes (Job 2:8), and later states “I am become like DUST and ASHES” (Job 30:19). Job, like Abraham, knew what it was like to survey the landscape of his life and admit “I AM DUST and ASHES.”
Dust. Ash. Nothing much to speak of, but the weight of those words hung on both men’s shoulders.
There are true DUST and ASH moments in this life. Sometimes from drawing close. Sometimes from the fire of hardship and struggle. Sometimes from the grief of loss. Sometimes from the awareness of your failures and flaws. Sometimes…sometimes…sometimes…there are probably a million reasons for DUST and ASHES moments. And, I’m guessing we all have them: moments where it seems someone lit a match and all around us is burned to the ground. Dust. Ash. Not much to speak of, but sometimes they are a reality.
There is nothing beautiful about either dust or ash, but I believe if (this is very conditional) we turn them over to God, those remains of what once was can become the beginning of the most incredible beauty we’ve ever experienced. As Isaiah 61:3 says, “To give them beauty for ashes.” What an exchange.
I find it interesting that God gave special instructions for the care of ashes in the Old Testament. He gave instructions for special pans to carry them in (Ex. 27:3), instructions for a specific place to put them (Lev. 1:16), and 3 times instructs for the ashes to be put in a “clean place.” God cares about ashes.
I also find it interesting, after a little research, that the ashy soil around volcanoes is incredibly fertile. One website states: “When volcanoes erupt, the immediate effect on plant life is destructive and deadly…while it is true that the immediate effect of volcanoes on plant life is death, the long term effect is very positive…. when volcanoes erupt, spreading ash around a large area, this ash acts as a fertilizer, enriching the soil. It is no surprise that the soil near volcanoes is among the richest and most fertile on earth.” [13]
“I am but DUST and ASHES.”
I echo the words of Abraham and Job. Dust and ashes – the realization is harrowing, but I do know the One who exchanges ashes for beauty, and I trust that He knows what HE wants to grow in the soil of this life.
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3)
My ashes for His glory.
“Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted. Too bad that with many of us He waits so long, so very long, in vain.”
Thank you for joining me for this journey! Go grab your Bible and your journal!