Restore Me

Restore Me

 I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. I snapped at my Beloved Husband before he really even got his eyes open! After he left for work, I opened my Bible (with coffee beside me) and read a chapter in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings that made me cry. I just couldn't keep the tears from falling as I read, and I felt my heart beginning to complain to GOD that I didn't understand His actions in that chapter. Then I (foolishly) looked at my social media - or maybe unsocial media - and saw a couple of posts that just slammed into me. Ugh. 

12" x 12"

Painted with artist quality heavy-body acrylic paint on 1.5” deep gallery wrapped canvas

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You know, when I read about the kings of ancient Israel in the Bible, I know very well that the story I am reading is not about me, in the sense of the phrase "I'm all about that". I know the Bible gives the overall story of GOD's purpose in His creation. But, here's the thing. The Bible - GOD's Word - is called living and active.

Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." 

I fully believe that GOD uses His Word to teach me, correct me, encourage me, and just communicate with me in general. 

So let me get to this painting. The collaged page from the Bible in this work is Psalm 51. There is so much movement and texture, and this painting of the series is different from the other two, yet clearly belongs with them. To me, it feels like it crashes down to the focal point at the bottom right. The main color is a favorite with me. It can be a cheerful yellow, or can go to a deep orange-y tone, or it can be used to deepen almost any other color when it is glazed over it. Oh dear... I don't know how to put this into words, but the color choice is quite significant to me. 

As I prepared to write the blog post about this painting, I reread Psalm 51 in several versions of the Bible, and this one hit deeply, so I am going to share most of it with you here. It is from the Living Bible, which is a version I loved reading when I was a teenager. 

Psalm 51:1-15 TLB

O loving and kind God, have mercy. Have pity upon me and take away the awful stain of my transgressions. Oh, wash me, cleanse me from this guilt. Let me be pure again. For I admit my shameful deed—it haunts me day and night. It is against you and you alone I sinned and did this terrible thing. You saw it all, and your sentence against me is just. But I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. You deserve honesty from the heart; yes, utter sincerity and truthfulness. Oh, give me this wisdom.

Sprinkle me with the cleansing blood and I shall be clean again. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. And after you have punished me, give me back my joy again. Don’t keep looking at my sins—erase them from your sight. Create in me a new, clean heart, O God, filled with clean thoughts and right desires. Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to other sinners, and they—guilty like me—will repent and return to you. Don’t sentence me to death. O my God, you alone can rescue me. Then I will sing of your forgiveness, for my lips will be unsealed—oh, how I will praise you.