In His Hand

"In His Hand"

20" x 16" Oil on Canvas

Romans says, "For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature." (1:20)

When I read scripture I get a sense of who God is. When I encounter someone's love or kindness, I get a sense of who God is. And almost always when I am out in creation, I get a sense of who God is.

The whale is such a sublime creature. It's size alone feels divine. It reminds me of the bigness of God that sometimes I can minimize. Especially when my fears or circumstances feel bigger. The whale represents to me the incomprehensible qualities of God and His divinity.

Psalm 95 says, "In His hand are the deep places of the earth...the sea is His, for He made it."

In His hand. Is there anything too big for Him? I find that to be such a comfort and reminder of who He is.

In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:10) Is there anything in your life that feels too big? Maybe today, you can hand it over and remember that He is already carrying you in His hand.

#inhishand

#whalepainting #jesus #art #greaterthan #christianartist #christianart #scripture #biggod

Footsteps of Faith

"Footsteps of Faith" Oil on canvas 24” x 36”

When the Disciples ran to the empty tomb, they didn't know what they were going to find and they didn't know what to believe. I'm sure in those moments they were consumed by grief, fear and confusion. The resurrection of Jesus was not something they had fully grasped yet. Still they ran.

As they arrived, John's Gospel tells us that one of them went into the tomb and saw the grave clothes lying where Jesus had been and THEN He believed. Something happened here that opened his eyes to what he had not been able to see before – their reality went from death to life.

I felt a gentle reminder in this scripture and through this painting that faith can look different sometimes. It can look like these feet running on the heels of confusion, fear, pain etc. yet, they are still moving towards Him, towards the empty tomb. I felt the Lord say, it’s in these places that He provides everything we need to believe, to hope, to heal and to find Him. So often I think my feet need to be running with boldness and confidence and forget that it’s okay to be honest with God at where I am at and let Him be my strength. This is still faith and still trusting Him with my unbelief.

#magnifyseries

#christianart

#bibleart

#christianartist

#jesus

#faith

#footstepsoffaith

Rise Up

“they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

-Isaiah 40:31

I was looking at this verse today and was studying the word translated here as 'wait.' In Hebrew 'qavah' can mean to wait, look for, hope, or expect.

Another definition that came up was 'bind together,' perhaps by twisting. I love that. So often, I have thought that waiting on the Lord to renew strength was all about His timing and my ability to be patient.

To interpret this text with the idea of binding myself to Him in places of my life that I need strength, helps me understand what mounting up with wings could mean.

Rise Up. I think that's the title for this piece. When we bind ourselves to Him - we rise up. It gives us wings to soar and we can continue to keep going, keep moving. Even in our greatest moments of sorrow, loss, hopelessness or adversity... we rise.  

#riseup

#eagleart

#minnesotaartist

#christianartist

#isaiah40:31