It was exciting to have the opportunity to do a piece of prophetic art at church the Sunday before Christmas. Three other artists would also be painting in various sections of the large sanctuary. And since I would be off to the side and near the front, my painting needed to be big enough to be seen from across the room. Although I had done prophetic worship art before, it was my first time painting at Living Stone Christian Church.
God is faithful when we trust Him, so when I sought the Lord for wisdom, direction, and what image Jesus wanted me to paint, the Holy Spirit placed a wonderful idea in my head. As I sketched it out, it became apparent that the 24" x 36" painting needed to be worked on ahead of time, so I could finish it during the 45-minute worship and drama time.
When Sunday morning arrived, I made sure I was at church early enough to set things up. As the music began, I picked up the paintbrush and started to fill in the sections that needed to be completed. With joy and enthusiasm, I painted in an atmosphere of lively worship, letting images of dancing trees emerge from the background. This was such a fun way to worship Christ, using the art talent HE had given me.
Then the drama started, and that’s when something unexpected happened. The lights went out. I waited for them to come back on again, only to discover that a spotlight would be used to highlight the actors, while the rest of the sanctuary remained dark. It was then that I remembered something about the drama director mentioning that I should bring a light. Why hadn’t I paid more attention to her words?
It was too late to find a light to paint by, so I asked the Holy Spirit for help. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed that the white spots on the canvas, where the holly leaves needed to be filled in, were slightly visible. Since the palette of green paint was already in one hand, the paintbrush in the other, I aimed for the white spots, trusting the Lord to guide my hand. When the lights came back on, all the holly leaves were finished. I quickly rinsed the brush, added more yellow ochre to the rock, threw golden glitter on it, and quietly slipped out of the sanctuary.
As I was washing out the paintbrushes, my heart was filled with joy because of what the Holy Spirit had done. HE gave me the idea, guided me along the way, and prompted me ahead of time to outline the holly leaves, knowing that the lights would go out, and then HE enabling me to paint in the dark. All honor, glory, and praise to the Lord God Most High! Thank you, Jesus Christ, for this opportunity to see your Hand at work and to paint for You.
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While getting ready to do a workshop for a group of women, the Lord impressed upon me the importance of letting participants know that HE loves them unconditionally. So I wrote down the thoughts that came into my heart: “You are My child, and I, the Lord God Almighty, love you. I love you simply because you are My child. I created you and I love you, and nothing in this world can keep me from loving you.
“I love you when you wake up. I love you when you get dressed. I love you as you go through each day’s activities. I love you when you sit down. I love you when you stand up. I love you when you sleep at night.
“My thoughts towards you are always filled with loving kindness. And I think about you all the time. For My Heart’s desire is to bless you -- to bless you when you are awake and to bless you when you sleep. To bless you when you eat, and to bless you when you speak.
“Look at ME, the Lord God Most High, and let ME bless you. For My thoughts towards you are always good. They are always filled with loving kindness.”
And as I basked in these words, a deep peace permeated my entire being. I felt loved by the Creator of the Universe, and it was beautiful beyond description.
But the biggest surprise came later, when I was confronted by an angry person. Usually darts of anger thrown at me cause pain. But this time, the negative words did not penetrate the shield of God’s protective love. I felt so encompassed by HIS goodness and grace, that for the first time in my life, I was able to look at the angry person and not only have compassion for him, but also bless him. And that was a miracle!
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Knees are something we normally ignore until they start to hurt. And that’s what happened to my right knee. I asked for prayer from people at church, and the pain disappeared immediately. Praise the Lord!
Then three weeks later, the pain returned. Sometimes a change needs to be made in our lives to keep our healing, so I asked Jesus for wisdom. Did I have a wrong attitude? Was there unforgivneness in my life? Was I carrying a burden or worry? Was there a bad habit that needed to be broken? Why did the pain come back?
Surprisingly, I felt that a change needed to be made in the way I used my knee. So I began to become consciously aware of how I was getting up and down from the floor, moving stuff around, and lifting things. It didn’t take long to discover that I was shifting all my weight onto the right knee every day, when kneeling down to plug and unplug the boon box from the receptacle under my desk. When I started using my knees equally, the pain went away. How wonderful is the Lord Jesus Christ, to heal and to give us wisdom when we ask!
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Three days before October ended, our “Dive into Joy” book study group took a road trip to Starved Rock State Park. The day was unseasonable warm, almost 80 degrees! As we hiked through the woods, rays of sunshine streamed through the branches. Although many of the trees had already let go of their leaves, there were still plenty of yellow ones that rained down upon us. It was almost like being in a “wonderland of delight.” Even the woodsy smell brought a refreshing fragrance to our nostrils, and the sound of crunching leaves beneath our feet reminded us of the fun we used to have in our earlier years.
We hiked to the council overhang -- a huge cave-like recess in the rocky canyon. There, we decided to rest and watch the last of the leaves descend to the ground. One of the women felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to sing. She opened her mouth and powerful songs of praise to Christ spilled forth. The cave-like setting magnified her voice and the yellow leaves falling from the trees seemed to dance delightfully with the music. One lady lifted her hands with a thankful heart, to honor Jesus, while another took pictures of God’s trees and the rock formations. Another person sketched the forest and someone else stood in awe of the Lord and took it all in.
Praise song after praise song reverberated outward from the overhang, while each of us worshiped the Lord using the creative talents HE had given us. When the music stopped, a beautiful peace engulfed each one of us. We were in awe of Yahweh and His creation, and He blessed us with stillness and a quiet heart. It was a holy moment. We stood there, basking in the light of Christ's Love, and then slowly left with a new joy in our hearts.
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A number of years ago, I lost some movement in my left arm. The doctor x-rayed the shoulder, told me there were calcium deposits on the bones, and said I would never have full movement of my arm again.
I asked for prayer from my Christian friends, and went to a mid-week healing service at a local church. In previous services, I had seen other people headed and had also received a healing myself. But this time, nothing happened. After two months with no improvement, it appeared that I had to learn to live with the difficulty of pulling sweaters over my head using only one arm.
Six months later, I continued to go to the same Christian healing service. And one evening, the Lord prompted the leader to do something different. He told us to find a partner to pray with and led us in a series of amazing prayers.
First, he told us to pray that we would commit ourselves to Jesus, confess our waywardness, and forgive others. Then he told us to repent of things we’ve done or gotten into that were in opposition to God, including things like having our palms read. Then we prayed for healing of our spirit and soul, and wounds that were caused by negative attitudes or unwholesome talk. It was very moving and wonderful evening.
Near the end of the service, the leader said the Lord wanted to do physical healing, and that we should pray for that. Again, nothing happened. But the next morning, when I went to lift my arm in the shower, it went straight up! Jesus Christ healed my shoulder completely! It became fully functional, and continues to remain healed today.
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It started out as an ordinary day, until I attended a watercolor class by Rosie Martindale. Watercolor had always been my least favorite method of producing art. But that day, Rosie showed me something new. I learned how to watch special effects “appear” just by adding salt to the wet colors and nudging them to blend certain ways. Excitement sprung up, as I experimented with new techniques. Amazement filled my heart, as the images emerged. Joy surrounded my entire being, when I saw the end result. It was nothing short of a miracle!
The next day, all I wanted to do was create art. I could hardly wait to make things with the tools I had at hand. In an adrenalin rush of joy and excitement, I was also in awe of the Holy Spirit, who is calling forth art that honors both Him and His Kingdom! I marveled that the God the Father would enable us artists to create beautiful pictures. I rejoiced that the Creator of the Universe takes joy when we create art. And I celebrated the fact that Jesus Christ creates with us when we invite Him to do so. For He is the One who enables the colors to blend into the most remarkable ways to produce what is only possible through Him.
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A group of us ladies, who knew we needed training, participated in a seminar called “Breaking Bondages to Set Captives Free.” Lois Koss, from Tree of Life Ministries, led the gathering. She spoke into the deep places in our hearts that needed to be ministered to. She gave us wisdom and understanding through Scriptural truths. She shared testimonies of Christ’s faithfulness and the joy of seeing Jesus set people free! Her enthusiasm, assurance and teachings about what God calls us to do, the authority HE commands us to walk in, and the resource she gave us to use, not only strengthened our faith, but also lifted our countenance. Hope arose within us. Doubts and lies were replaced with truth. Bondages were broken. One lady who suffered with severe back pain through most of the seminar was prayed for and went home feeling much better. We were given a new boldness in learning to step out in faith, and a reminder to rely on the Lord when ministering to others.
One of the participants said it was the most Holy Spirit infused, teaching, healing and equipping seminar. I agree, and thank Jesus Christ for the miracles that resulted from a simple act of asking for help in our moments of weakness. And I especially thank HIM for sending Lois Koss to open the door to new levels of the love and freedom we have in and through Jesus Christ.
For when we find ourselves in unexpected situations where there is deception and
evil influences, wisdom calls
us to recognize our own weaknesses and gain understanding in the ways of
the Lord. And when we do this, HIS perfect love casts out all fear.
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