Discovering Hope With James W. GollSample

Putting on the Garments of Praise

God’s divine exchange gives us beauty for ashes, joy for our mourning, and a new garment of praise for that which causes us to be heavy. If we are going to receive this exchange, then we also have to make this exchange. We have to cast something off before we can put something new on.

Let’s get real. Some of us want to stay clothed in the garments of yesterday. They’re familiar. We know them. They bring us comfort. That may be okay for a while, but after a while, those garments become heavy. Even yesterday’s great memories become a hindrance to moving forward into your bright tomorrow.

Remember the blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46–52. He couldn’t see a thing, but as one sense fails, other senses become heightened. Maybe that’s how his knower knew someone was passing by. His feeler felt that there was a person walking in a presence, an anointing. He started crying out, “Son of David, have mercy on me.”

You know what? Eventually he got Jesus’ attention, and you know what he had to do? The gospel writer says, “Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus” (Mark 10:50 NASB). He did not take his cloak—his victim mindset—to Jesus. He had to say goodbye to the comfort of yesterday to approach Jesus today to receive the provision for tomorrow.

It is the same for us. Before we can put something new on, we must cast something old off. This takes risk and desperation. I would also say it takes adventure. And it all leads to a moment of standing vulnerable in between the casting off and the putting on. Think about it. What are you once you have cast off what you were wearing? You’re naked—vulnerable.

We all reach an in-between time, and during this time, we must not compare the past to the future because we do not know what the new garments will look like. Instead, we put on the new garment, resulting in thanksgiving and praise, because now he’s not just the God of a second chance; he’s the God of the fifty-millionth chance.

What garment do you need to cast off? Are you prepared to be vulnerable in the in-between time? What garments do you need to put on? Remember, he gives us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. He always offers us the divine exchange.

THE CHALLENGE

I give you a challenge today and give myself the same challenge: Cast off the old. Become vulnerable. Risk being present, so that faith will come alive in your heart all over again. Allow God to take your ashes—that evidence of the fire that has burned within you—and let the pleasing aroma of your sacrifice rise to God. Let it become what he breathes in so that he may breathe out upon you anew.

I want to encourage you in this challenge with Psalm 42:5. His presence is with you always. Let the Holy Spirit wash over your soul and allow praise to rise from the depths within you. Speak to your soul. Tell it to hope again in God!

For more on discovering hope, pick up a copy of Tell Your Heart to Sing Again by James W. Goll: https://bit.ly/3dM9Tfm