Take a long, living look at me, your high God, above politics, above everything.
Psalm 46 (The Message)

I love the psalms, and this is one of my new favorites. (I think I say that almost every post!)  The Message version of this adds such drama and clarity.  Other versions say, "Be still and know that I am God," which I also love.... But The Message seems to gives more insight--  how can I be still?  Take a long, loving look.

So my question today is....  When was the last time I took a long, loving look at God?

I have to admit, to me, the idea of this seems a bit ridiculous.  It feels like it's too much.  Too much to hope for.  Too much to have.  But this past year has been a year of God teaching me about his extravagant love.  I have learned and experienced what these long, loving looks hold.  He speaks -- be still, sit with me.  Listen.  I love you so much.  Look at me.

At first I would shy away.  I am too full of sin, too broken.  How can he really love me?

But as time went on, and as I listened to the words I was reading and all the people who were talking and all of the prayers I was experiencing, I started to be able to steal glances.  Like a child who just got in trouble, but could hear the forgiveness in his mother's voice, my eyes slowly shifted from the ground and locked in on the beauty of His presence.  

Think of someone in your life who has given you a long, loving look.  A mother, a friend, your spouse.  Think of their eyes.  Can you see the forgiveness they hold when you did something  wrong?  Can you picture the laughter and joy they offer when you are experiencing joy?  Can you see the sadness they express when you come before them with tears?  

Those are the long loving looks that  God is asking for... from us.  

My favorite expression of this type of loving look comes from an unlikely place.  Hosea.  Hosea was a prophet with a hard task.  God wanted him to show how much he loved Israel by taking back his wandering wife and loving her again.  

She was a mother and a wife, but she ran away, abandoning Hosea with the kids and the work. In this context,  Hosea had to track her down (and he found her in a brothel), and then bring her home.  Who does that?  Well Hosea did... because God told him to.  

And then Hosea was left with a monumental task.  Hosea had to learn again how to give her long, loving looks.  How to connect with her, so that Israel would know what true love is. I can only imagine how hard that was.  But it teaches us so much. 

First, God loves us madly.  He knows we sin.  He knows we live in sin.  But he cares about us so much that he will race to even the brothels to find us. Second, Hosea was called to bring his wife back home with him.  They had to physically be together.  We can't have a relationship with God if we don't take time to sit with him.  Lots of time.  Third , long loving looks don't come easy.  We have to work for them.  We have to take time and build the relationship. I am sure it wasn't easy for Hosea, and it isn't easy for me.  But when I dare to turn my eyes to God, even a little, he rewards me so extravagantly.

So today I hope you get to experience the best loving looks there are.  The loving looks of God. 

Psalm 46 (The Message)
God is a safe place to hide,
    ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
    courageous in seastorm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
    the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
River fountains splash joy, cooling God’s city,
    this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
    God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
    but Earth does anything he says.

Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
Attention, all! See the marvels of God!
    He plants flowers and trees all over the earth,
Bans war from pole to pole,
    breaks all the weapons across his knee.
“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God,
    above politics, above everything.”
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
    God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.

I love this little girl. She is sleeping in peace, because of her trust in the Lord.  

But even though she is sleeping now, earlier in the day she was sitting in her soft cloud-bed praying.  Yet her prayers aren't easy.  Like the Psalmist, when she comes before the Lord, she trembles in His presence.  And then she searches her heart in silence.  Her only goal for the day is to bask in the love of God and then to share that love with the others in her tiny cloud-world.  

I wish I could be more like her.  Too often my prayers are full of words and not enough silence. She can rest in peace because she truly trusted in the Lord.  She prayed with a trembling heart and listened with an attentive ear.  And so this girl and this Psalm remind me yet again that prayer and praise are more powerful than we can ever imagine. 

Today may you be filled with heart-searching silence that will lead you to a truly peacful slumber.

​Psalm 4 (NIV)

Answer me when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
Tremble and do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.
Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
Fill my heart with joy
when their grain and new wine abound.
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety

My mother taught me these verses (11-12) from Psalm 91 as a teenager: 

For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

I have relied on them more times than I count.  Yet this is just a small part of an amazing Psalm.  The whole thing is full of protection and comfort; there is so much more than I knew.  He will cover you with his feathers; under his wings you will find refuge. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.

Notice that the Psalmist is not saying that there won't be terrors at night.  In fact, he knows there will be.  He is assuming that deadly pestilence and plagues and arrows and terrors are going to fall at your feet.  Yet the Psalmist is reminding us that even though we may walk through the hardest things there are, God is there.

Bad things happen.  Horrible things happen.  People are awful to each other, and natural disasters destroy.  But we serve a God who overcomes.  A God who listens.  A God who answers.  A God who stands with us through the horrible and treacherous and miserable places.  

Today may you remember that you can choose this day to walk this road with or without the shelter of the Most High.  I hope you choose His loving presence.

Psalm 91 (NIV)

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

When I started trying to make a picture for every Psalm, I had only a tiny bit of experience felting and absolutely no training in art. Now I have a teeny bit more experience and still no training in art. But I have been reading as much as I can and trying out different ideas and styles. This isn't my favorite style, but it was really fun.

I based this piece on Psalm 24, verses 3-4:

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.

When I was young, I loved Amy Grant. LOVED her. Her songs were my connection to a world that was so beautiful and full of God. For me, it was like ascending the mountain of the Lord. And one of her songs was called "Mountain Top". The words say, "But I've got to come down from that mountain top/ To the people in the valley below/ Or they'll never know that they can go/ To the mountain of the Lord." Amy's words about the mountaintop echo those of the Psalmist and tell of an experience that words can't describe. If you have been there, you know.

And when I think of mountain tops, I am reminded of God revealing His glory to Moses. So much glory that Moses had to hide; God couldn't show all of Himself. His glory was too great.

And so it goes with God. There is a mountaintop, and He invites us there to experience glory that is too much for human eyes to behold.

Today may you climb your own mountain and stand in His holy place and experience His glory.

​Psalm 24 (NIV)

1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty--
he is the King of glory.

This Psalm is full of praises for all of the good things God does.  God forgives sins, heals diseases, satisfies desires, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.  

And then, right in the middle, the Psalmist reminds us of something else, "The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed."

The Psalmist wants us to remember that not only is God good to Kings and Princes, God is touching those in the worst places.  And the Psalmist is declaring this to be one of God's greatest qualities -- The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

This is one of my favorite things about God.  Over and over again he comes to the aid of those in need.  As I read through the Old Testament, one thing that always stands out is how God repeatedly gets angry at Israel because they aren't caring for the widows and orphans.

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.  

And then in the New Testament, Jesus constantly stands up for those who were shunned, eating with thieves, healing and touching lepers, and saving a woman from being stoned when others thought her sins merited death.  

The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

Today I hope your day is full of praises to God for all He is.  And in the middle of that, may God speak to you of how you can help work righteousness and justice for the oppressed right now, right where you are.  We can be a part of His healing in this world.

Psalm 103 (NIV)

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits--
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works righteousness
    and justice for all the oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
    his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
    they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
    and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
    the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
    and his righteousness with their children’s children--
18 with those who keep his covenant
    and remember to obey his precepts.
19 The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Praise the Lord, you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    who obey his word.
21 Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts,
    you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the Lord, all his works
    everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.

​This is my favorite Psalm.  I generally use a different translation, but for this piece, I wanted to use the NIV, as it uses the words, "I cling to you."  I want to cling to Him.  I want to hold on tight and never let go.

I created another scene for this Psalm a few years ago when I first started doing this.  But as I lean into these words, different themes and images emerge.  And the thought of clinging to God, holding onto him, grasping at his power is so compelling to me that I made a separate piece.    

May you cling to God today and always.

Psalm 63 (NIV)

1 You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.
9 Those who want to kill me will be destroyed;
    they will go down to the depths of the earth.
10 They will be given over to the sword
    and become food for jackals.
11 But the king will rejoice in God;
    all who swear by God will glory in him,
    while the mouths of liars will be silenced.

How can you even begin to describe the heavens that declare the glory of God? How can you portray their beauty?  

I can't.

But I can share a little of my heart with you.  When I pray, I feel and see light and warmth around me.  It doesn't look like my pictures here, but it's the best representation my humble body can create.  And so today I leave you with the unspoken truth of the heavens declaring the glory of the Lord.

Although I prefer the NIV for most of this Psalm, The Message for verses 3 and 4 hits me deep within my soul. Speaking of the heavens "Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, but their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere."

Unspoken truth.  

May you revel today in the unspoken truth of the heavens and the glory of the Lord. 

Psalm 19 (NIV)
The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
    In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
    refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
    making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold,
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
    than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins;
    may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless,
    innocent of great transgression.
May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

There is nothing more majestic than the waves of the sea.  Nothing, but God.

​Psalm 93 (NRS)
1 The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; 
2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. 
3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. 
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord! 
5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore.