Dan Bremnes: ‘Beautiful’ song devotional

What’s your story? Can you remember the time that God truly spoke right into your heart? Can you recall how you started to change from the inside out? The greatest miracle we can experience is the miracle of a changed life. The miracle when God rewrites our story. And it often starts with us surrendering everything to Him.

I remember being lukewarm about my faith as I grew up in the church. I was back and forth. I would follow God for a week and then walk away. I would run to Him and then run away. I was afraid that, to serve God, I was going to have to give up everything. I had plans and dreams that I wasn’t willing to let go.

My heart became broken, callused, and scarred. Then, when I reached my lowest point, I knew the only thing that would lift me out of it was God. I reached out to Him and He answered. My repeated prayer was, “God, I want everything You are — I want everything You have for me,” and I felt like God’s answer was, “I want everything from YOU, Dan.” I had to let go of it all. My broken past, my plans for the future — I had to leave them in His hands. I needed to surrender and let go.

The more I continued to let go, the more I started to find true freedom and joy. I realized that God was actually good and that His plans were perfect. He started to change my heart. I delighted myself in His presence, and He started to open my eyes to the amazing work of redemption that He was doing in my life.

I look back and see how much God has changed my heart. I also wake up each day and remind myself that He’s not finished with me. The work of the cross—the work of redemption—is a process and with each season God is making us into His image. We are all walking miracles, proof that there really is a God that can change our story and give us new joy. He takes a broken and scarred life and He makes it “Beautiful.”