Visual Prayer--Tears in God's Bottle

Rough days are inevitable. Seems like they come in conjunction with some of the biggest blessings. Which I suppose is par for the course.

What makes rough days worse is stupid people. Or stupid mean people. Or just plain ole people.
It might not be that way for you. I walk a tightrope between introvert and extrovert so while some days being with people energizes me, other days, it exhausts me to a disturbing point.

I continually read on of Oswald Chambers' devotionals about exhaustion. You're doing yourself a huge disservice if you relate to what I'm saying but don't read this. It's short.

I was feeling pressure from so many areas (some of them self-induced) so I decided to take a bath with some lavender bath salts, listen to Jeremy Camp on the iPod dock, and have some quiet time with God. I covered my eyes with a washcloth and asked the Holy Spirit to quiet my soul.

It took awhile. I think my mind naturally resists being still and quiet. The song Letting Go came on and behind my washcloth covered closed eyes, I clearly saw a jar with tears in it.

And I cried.

Then I put on my big girl panties and decided I could trust God to handle these mounting problems of mine. If he could store my tears in a jar, he could certainly take care of some insignificant people that were bothering me. Besides, what they do shouldn't be my concern, right?

I hurried to my easel and painted a jar.

Then I decided I needed to know where that verse was and in what context it was written. Turns out, it was smack in the middle of a Psalm. Psalm 56.


And what a wonderful Psalm it is for someone in the position I had been complaining about being in.

By creating prayer, renewal washed over me.

My spirit calmed and then soared.

The urge to crawl into bed and hide away from the world for weeks on end was gone.

Restored.

Not alone in misery and wandering, but every tear recorded and kept in God's bottle.

2009 Scripture Art Number 15

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

Note: I got behind with the moving and stuff so I'm starting with the current verse and I'll post the 5 I'm behind as I get them finished. (Did I really just admit that I'm 10 weeks behind?? 10 weeks?!)

Genesis 16:13 So she named the LORD (YHWH) who spoke to her El Roi, The God Who Sees, for she said, "Have I really seen here the One who sees me?"

This goes with my Muddy Water post from a couple days ago. I can't get this image out of my head.

(sorry about the image quality, this was taken with my phone.)

2009 Scripture Art Number 9

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

This post is a little over due. I was supposed to put it up on the 1st, but I was in Missouri and since I've been back all kinds of chaos has ensued.

However, it was finished and I am working on the one that's due in 3 short days. I'll be out of town (again) so I'll post that one when I get back.

My next verse is the final in this series of verses, Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek Me
and find Me
when you search for Me
with all of your heart.

2009 Scripture Art Number 8

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

Here's the final version of Scripture Art Number 7.
Jeremiah 29:11

The next Scripture I'm working on is Jeremiah 29:12

You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

2009 Scripture Art Number 7

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

This is from the March 16-31st period. I really, really enjoyed this one. The left page was done with watercolor pencils and different markers. The right was watercolor paint and marker.

Now. To pick a verse for the first half of April.

I had a thought that I should pick Jeremiah 29:11-13 and pushed the thought aside because I know the verses. So I asked on Twitter and @LisaReid said, "I'd have to go with Jer 29:11, or 11-13. It stands out like a gem against the rest of the book, always surprising me."

Uh-huh. Surprise. Surprise, eh?

So I told her I'd thought those where the verses I should do, but hesitated instead, so this was a "Here's your sign" moment. She said, "Ha! I almost didn't reply to you, but I really felt that I should. So yes, here's your sign. Dooo eeeet!"

So it looks like I'll be spending from now until Mid-May on this passage. I'll do one verse for each 2-week period.

For I know the plans I have for you—[this is] the LORD's declaration—plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

New Pet Project--Visual Prayer Sharing

When I first read Praying in Color I was hooked. I've since moved from doodling my prayer to doing mixed media art prayer and all sorts of neato stuff. So I'm calling it "Visual Prayer" now.

A Twitter friend was interested in the book and I offered to send my copy. But then an idea struck me. I'd send one of my own visual prayers along with the book and ask him to do the same. It took me way too long to fulfill my end of the bargain, but I did. Finally.

I put a little note in the book along with some instructions and included a small sketchbook and sent them before I left for vacation last week.

I'm hoping that everyone the book is passed along to will add their own visual prayer and email me with a photo of their prayer!

This is mine:

Wanna hear the weirdly ironic thing? If you know me at all, you know how God constantly works in my life with dates and times? Well...I ordered the book Praying in Color on March 18, 2008. I sent it to my Twitter friend on March 19, 2009.

Just like that time God picked me up to carry me on February 23 and put me down 12 years later on February 24.

His timing is impeccable.

2009 Scripture Art Number 6

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

<--Scripture Art Number Five Final version

This is the second period for this passage, I chose to spend a session on each verse rather than fly through it as a whole passage. That means, I spend six full weeks on this passage.

God knows what He's doing.








The verse for Scripture Art Number 6, March 16-30 is: (in bold)

Luke 6:36-38

Be merciful, just as your Father is also merciful.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged

Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and it will be given to you; a good measure--pressed down, shaken together, and running over--will be poured in your lap.

For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Wordless Wednesday--Visual Prayers

2009 Scripture Art Number 5

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

It's never too late to join in!

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

I decided to take 3 weeks to memorize the passage I chose last time. As I wrote it out, I realized that I wanted to spend some time doing this. I didn't want to rush, to act as if 3 verses in one period was easy, to make unwise choices.

For starters, I'm not good at being merciful. God has graciously gifted me in areas that I can say I'm good at. Being merciful is not one of them. It takes real energy, real concentration for me to show mercy. Especially to stupid people. Okay, that's probably not nice, but I'm going for honesty here. This is why God is God and I am not. Those complainers walking around the desert--wanting to go back to Egypt? Yeah. They'd get what they asked for. A remnant? I probably couldn't do it. And I definitely wouldn't have given them David as a ruler when they didn't want me, their God, the one who didn't off them after their antics in the desert.

When God gives me opportunity to be merciful, I try. Oh Lord do I try. But if the person has a history of stupid, I find myself in an awkward position. Can I be merciful and not be stupid, too? And what does that look like?

Maybe that's what this next verse will teach me?

I found this at StudyLight.org, a study about the word mercy.

The passages before the one I've chosen talk about loving your enemies, the ones following are the speck of dust and plank in the eye lesson, the blind leading the blind, and this: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

So even though it's time to move on to another verse, this one still haunts me.

The problem is, how does one keep toxic people out of their life, yet live as Christ?

My first inclination is to think of how Jesus dealt with the Pharisees. Because these toxic people I'm speaking of have much in common with the Pharisees. Jesus taught them when he could, but did not force them into reconciliation. He didn't make them have a relationship with him. He simply spoke the truth and...spoke the truth consistently.

And obviously, if I'm told to love my enemies--that means I will undoubtedly have enemies.

So does that mean that I have to be on cordial speaking terms with everyone in my life?

My opinion is no. Especially when I read the next verses I'll be Visually Praying with and the passages that follow. I believe God gave us discernment for a purpose. I believe that if I saw a berry growing from a bush I knew from past history produced poisonous berries--I believe that I should not eat of the fruit from said bush.

If a tree is known by its fruit, if a good man brings good things up from his heart and an evil man brings evil from the evil stored in his heart, then I think that removing these toxic people from my life is the right thing to do. I shouldn't pick the bad berries and hope they're not poisonous anymore.

My next verses for March 1-15 in bold below:

Luke 6:36-38

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.

For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.

2009 Scripture Art Number 4

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

It's never too late to join in!

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

I'm a couple days late this time, but I have not quit! (My goal, my desire, is to finish this strong.)

Here's Scripture Art Number 3 (before)

Final

My new verse(s): It's a lot, I might take this in steps, but they all go together and I didn't feel right splitting them up. I don't have a page in the journal started yet, I'll be working on that soon.

Luke 6:36-38

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Stop judging and you will not be judged.

Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven.

Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.

For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.

2009 Scripture Number 3

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

Before I get to the third verse of the year, here's a recap of the second:

The finished journal page:



And the start of the third verse of the year. John 4:24 "God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."


To start this one off, I dribbled some water on the page and moved it around with my fingers then added some drops of ink to the paper. I dragged ink around the border with a scrap of paper.

Update--2009 Scripture Number 2

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

It's never too late to join in!

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

Here's an update on Scripture Number 2

2009 Scripture Number 2

Beth Moore posted on her blog asking if anyone wanted to join

her in memorizing Scripture, two a month, in 2009.

You can see all of my posts here.

* * *

Before I get to the second verse of the year, a recap of the first is in order. (More about verse one here and here.)

Scripture Number One: Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. Hebrews 11:1 (Holman Christian Standard)

Here's the last photo you saw of my Scripture art

And now...my Scripture Art as it will remain

I believe I've committed this verse to memory, though probably not word for word. Understanding ideas is far more important to me than getting every word correct. And of course, the spiritual battle is raging. However, I'm leaning on a verse I learned back in January of 2006--Exodus 14:14 says (in my version) Shut up and the Lord will fight this battle for you. So my lips are zipped, my mind is active with Scripture, and my hands are busy making art. God has me right where He wants me, in His right hand.

Onto 2009 Scripture Number 2

"I will praise the LORD who counsels me--even at night my conscience instructs me."

Psalm 16:7


Link yours in the comments.