I am thankful for you. Yes, for you! Writing and painting are both solitary undertakings and I cannot do this with any expectations of result. So I want to take a moment to express my appreciation to those who have followed me on this journey and let you know how much your encouragement means to me. Your presence in this moment means a lot to me. May the Lord truly bless you.
We are in a season of thanksgiving and yet the reality of giving thanks gets lost in the recipes, the cooking, the parties, and the Event itself. I would like to get very personal and share public and heartfelt praises to our Lord who allowed me to know, love and trust Him. SO many don’t even believe He exists, let alone that He cares deeply about what they care about. I am humbled that You allowed me to not only know You, but to love and trust You. I realize this is a truly invaluablegift, and I am eternally grateful. I thank You, Lord, for my life. I had many years that were very painful, yet even in the most difficult of trials, You were always as close as a prayer. I am now in a season of great joy and blessing. We know from Ecclesiastes that there is a time for every purpose under Heaven. I THANK YOU, LORD for Your presence in my life — for my husband, our family, our church, and our many beloved friends. We are blessed beyond measure.
Sarah Young in her wonderful book, “Jesus Calling,” says “Hallelujahs” are the language of Heaven. What a beautiful song a Hallelujah can be as the angels of heaven sing along! đś. I invite you to be still in this moment. Find your hallelujah and sing it to Your Heavenly Father – even if you are unsure of the words. He knows your heart.
âIt is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.â Deuteronomy 31:8.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25,26
TODAY I decided to feature the color of purple: the color of royalty. It is one of my favorite colors. My wedding dress was purple! Above is my newest painting, PURPLE LOVE framed on my website, Fine Art America. And below is the same painting in some of the other print options.
I painted these purple irises for a friend who is in a very painful and difficult season. She loves purple. I prayed it would bless her in some small way.
Iâd like to share again these wise words with anyone who is wrestling with where they find themselves today. These thoughts were shared by my friend Betsy, from the book, âThe Red Sea Rules.â Here is a summary of what the author, Robert J. Morgan, wants to remind us during challenging times: 1) God means for us to be where we are. 2) Be more concerned for Godâs glory than your relief. 3) Acknowledge the enemy but keep your focus on God. 4) Pray! 5) Stay calm and confident and let God do His work. 6) Take one day and one step at a time. 7) Look for Godâs surrounding presence. 8 Trust God to deliver in His own unique way. 9) View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future. 10) Praise Him.
Jesus sent the disciples into the boat knowing that they would be caught in a severe storm. He intended that they would experience Godâs glory AND His presence in and through this frightening experience . Yes, there is an enemy hard at work and his victory has been one of divisiveness in every direction. But if we keep our eyes focused on the Son. and pray – hard and often, I believe we will see He has neither forgotten nor abandoned us. He is close to the broken hearted. We can trust Him. He is faithful.
Every week I come to âthis placeâ asking the Lord to give me a message of encouragement, direction, and/or hope to share. I felt a strong pull on my heart many years ago to post something other than memes and political wrangling on social media. My weekly âblogâ was birthed on my Prayers and Paintbrushes Facebook page. It has been almost a year and a half that I have had an official blog on my prayersandpaintbrushes website and though one soul may read my words – or 100 – each soul is prayed over. I am retired after a lifetime of working. I never thought retirement would be a possibility and I certainly never thought Iâd be writing a blog let alone being a watercolor artist with well over 300 watercolors and a website! Today I feel led to share a little bit of my story hoping it might encourage you to keep on keeping on – regardless of where you find yourself today.
At the age of 60 I was living a new chapter of my life. Recently divorced and living alone for the first time ever, I never expected to marry again. Several years later without one blind date or attempt at internet matching, I did marry again – a wonderful newly widowed gentleman I had known slightly from church and my office. At the age of 65 I was a bride! A year later I found myself unexpectedly retired and after over a year of soul-searching and even trying to find work again, with my husbandâs encouragement and support, I realized it was OK for me to be retired. But I am a bit of a social butterfly and I missed the daily interaction and purpose for my days.
At the invitation of a friend to a painting party, I picked up paintbrushes and wasnât able to put them down! That single time event became a catalyst for another new chapter in my life. in 2016, Prayers and Paintbrushes was born. I have painted commission people, pets and places and prayed with each painting that I wouldnât screw it up! Thatâs where âPrayers and Paintbrushesâ originated. Shortly after I began sharing my artwork on Facebook I felt the urge to point to my Source of hope and direction and my writing career began.
I share this very abbreviated story to share these thoughts with you⌠I am in my 70âs. Much of the world looking at my age would think my life is finished – I have nothing left to contribute. But I beg to differ. Speaking for ANYONE of ANY AGE reading these words, I remind you your life isnât over until itâs over. Regardless where you find yourself, God can use and bless you. Seek Him! ASK HIM! Invite Him in and ask Him to show up and show off in your life! He loves you. He has a plan for you even if you cannot even begin to see it. You may have one day left of your life! Some reading this may feel that is truth. Some may have have decades left – but we can only live one day at a time REGARDLESS of how many we have left. Give that day to the One who can in all things work for good – in your life and through your life.
In a very dark time many years back, God very literally spoke this verse to me:
I know the plans I have for you,â declares the Lord, âplans to prosper YOU and not to harm you, plans to give you A hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heartâ Jeremiah 29:11-13
Even when I could not see the reality of these words, I clung to them. I pounded on the gates of heaven and reminded God I was believing Him for these words to be true in my life. And heâs been faithful and true. CALL on Him. Come and PRAY to Him. SEEK Him with ALL your Heart. Believe Him even in your disbelief! FAITH doesnât mean knowing – it means trusting.
What does God want of me, of you? He wants us to give our lives to Him and believe Him for the outcome.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16, 17
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6
Whether one person hears these words I write and finds our Savior, or one hundred, I lay this effort at His feet. I seek to be used by Him with or without my paintbrushes.Please comment or message me privately if you need encouragement as you live out your storyâ¨
âOur natural inclination is to be so precise – trying always to accurately forecast what will happen next – that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty.â Written by Oswald Chambers
Something my husband and I had no reason to doubt would occur suddenly seems as if it is not happening. Our plans are suddenly and abruptly altered. We are disappointed and a bit confused, as it seemed the Lord had arranged this amazing event. And now the event seems as if it will not be happening. So here I sit, âtrying to accurately forecast what will happen next.â And then I read these amazing words written many years ago by the wise and thoughtful man of faith and letters, Oswald Chambers. âThe nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty.â WowâŚ
Do you battle with the Lord over His promises? Do you know the person of His Son, our Savior, Jesus the Christ? Is He real to you? I encourage you, to ask Him to reveal Himself to you! Just ask with sincerity of heart. He IS the long ago eternally promised Hope for the world.
âLong ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, âYou are my Son, today I have begotten youâ? Or again, âI will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a sonâ? …â Hebrews chapter 1:1-5
So, Lord, my husband and I give you this fork in our road, this roadblock to our plans and lay it at your feet. We donât understand but we will trust You and believe You for blessing in this disappointment. And for those reading these words, I pray confidence in You with the confusion and uncertainty that fill all our lives. Show up and show off, Lord!