by artist, Barbara Hilford

More than talking about my own artistic expressions, I love to share with others how the beauty and wonder of God’s creation (which I try to capture in the paintings I do) can be a very powerful tool enabling us to “hide His word in our hearts” – a way in which we can relate what we see every day in the world around us to God’s Word.
Most of us are familiar with John 3:16…”for God so loved the world….” Yes, He gave us the ultimate, perfect, gift of love, but He gave us even more: He also created a world of incredible beauty – a virtual feast for man’s eyes – not only in all the animals and birds and sea creatures and all the growing and living things, but a world of sunsets and clouds and ocean waves and raindrops and snowflakes and so much more!

And God, the Master Artist, not only wants us to visually enjoy the wonders of His creation, but to draw us closer to Himself through His Word; what I’m excited about is the discovery that the two are very closely related.

Years ago when I was in college, my dream was to go to Paris one day and walk the streets of Montmartre and paint. So I majored in French and took all the art courses that were available. After graduation I landed a job with American Airlines…solid plan so far…but then marriage entered the mix, followed by the birth of three daughters – so much for Plan A. Dreams had to be put on hold, and it wasn’t until many years later that I realized that “ God so loved Barbara…” that He gave her something in the gift of those girls that was ever so much better than any fulfilled dreams of personal achievement I could have had.

I’ve loved to draw and paint ever since I was a child, but I never imagined that it would take me so many years to discover what God REALLY had in mind for me as far as my artistic abilities were concerned. And if I had not given my life to Him back in 1989, I never would have discovered that.

Several years ago I was trying to decide just how to tie together my love for God’s word, my love for birds and animals and the beauty of nature, AND my love for drawing and painting, and God simply put it on my heart….He said “Barbara, put your art to work for Me…show others how ART WORKS for Me.” And so “Artworks for God” was born. I’ve never been motivated to simply create nice little paintings to show and sell, but rather to share a vision I have of how we can so easily make God’s word a part of our lives. And that is by allowing the visual images of His creation, His own personal art gallery, His ONE MAN SHOW, to point the way to His own personal message to each one of us.

You’ve heard it said that we are but actors on a stage…and sometimes we forget our lines and directions, but God is the Prompter…always right out there in the wings, ready to set us straight, to hold up that big cue card or “stage whisper” the prompt…All we have to do is open our eyes, cock our ears and take advantage of our LIFE LINE. Sounds so easy, but how often we miss the cue.

SOME EXAMPLES: Here’s how I pick up on the cues God gives me – you can, too….It is really very simple: Take a long walk one day (bringing a camera along is good) and see how many Scripture verses you can come up with that are related to, or prompted by, whatever you see in the world around you – either animate or inanimate.

For instance:
rabbits in the arroyo…”Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it….” (Isaiah 30:21)

the Sandias reaching across the eastern horizon: I think of Psa. 121: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills…”

hawk circling above…”You hide me beneath the shadow of Your wings….

clouds in the sky….Psa 104: “God makes the clouds His chariot”; – beautiful word images here!

birds……..Matt 6 26: Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap, yet your heavenly father feeds them…..

doves on a lamp post, flying off as I walk beneath: Psa 55: ‘Oh that I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest…(I remember wishing once that I could simply “run away” from the responsibilities of caring for my elderly mother –such a seemingly overwhelming burden at times, but God’s answer to that was…NOT to run away from, but run to the throne of grace, where He would provide my help in time of need)

Even a big old rock that’s a part of someone’s landscaping may prompt those verses from Matt. 7” “and the rain descended…the wind blew and beat on that house, and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. God is my rock, my fortress…

I see a beautiful sunset and I think of Psalm 113:3 : “From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.

The Wind - blows a lot here…I think of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3…”The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit” – I think of that Scripture and I think, “that’s us. Just as we can’t see or control or understand the wind, we CAN see its effects, just like we can see the unmistakable evidence of the Holy Spirit at work, changing lives, even though we can’t see or control or understand Him..

pyracantha: I used to look out my kitchen window at the pyracantha bushes in our yard – so thick that even the Russian army couldn’t have penetrated them – long thorns, but nothing compared to the thorns in the crown they placed on our Savior’s head and what He suffered for MY SAKE…and I praise God for those sharp reminders. God’s works pointing to His word.

Even an old broken bottle lying by the side of the road gives me a Scripture verse: Psalm 56: -“You number my wanderings, put my tears in your bottle:…Imaging that! God keeps a journal of our lives and has a bottle for our tears! Tears that will become jewels in the crown to place at His feet some day!

the fading night sky in early AM….Psa 8: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers…..” “Indescribable, uncontainable, You placed the stars in the sky and You call them by name. You are amazing, God….” ( I sing that song to myself a LOT).

All those destructive tsunami waves, hurricanes, tornados, fires, natural disasters….Rom. 8:28 “ All things work together for good to those who love God…

A sweet border collie named Lucy… I often used to encounter her and my neighbor on my early morning walks…I think of sheep and how I’m just like them…stubborn, prone to wander, etc. … and of course my thinking then progresses to Psalm 23.. And “Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…I like to think that “Goodness” and “Mercy” are the names of two sheepdogs that the Shepherd has assigned to trot along beside me throughout my life, keeping me from wandering too far or getting into trouble, gently nipping at my heels or nudging me lovingly back toward my shepherd.

pottery: I look at a colorful piece of pottery sitting on my neighbor’s patio and I think, Lord, “You are the potter, I am the clay…mold me into Your image, Lord, change me…

Dead leaves: tossed by the fall wind… I think of Isaiah’s words….”The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God lasts forever.”

flowers: I see the beautiful flowers of spring and I think of Matthew’s words again: “Consider the lilies of the field….even Solomon in all his splendor…”

How about the Rock Badger?…article in National Geographic. This little creature has long sharp curved nails, digs a lot. Really good at it, even in rocky soil, and he is VERY fast. I remembered something in Scripture about a rock badger… looked it up in my concordance….Proverbs 30: “Rock badgers are a feeble folk, yet they make their homes in the crags.”… Now why on earth would God refer to this reclusive animal in His Word???……Well, this little guy is smart enough to know he’s no match for a swooping eagle or a hungry mountain lion…that his strength doesn’t lie in working out at the gym, but in taking shelter in the cliffs FAST. Badgers know where their strength lies… do we? I ask myself that question and I pray: Lord, help me to remember that MY strength lies in You, and that “I can do anything through Christ, who strengthens me.”

Scripture also tells us “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might (Eph. 6:10).
God’s WORKS prompting HIS WORD teaching me HIS WAY.
So many, many more illustrations out there….I think you get the idea.

Try taking a handful of minutes out of your busy lives every once in a while to STOP, LOOK and LISTEN (remember the old railroad warning sign?):

STOP. Stand still sometimes (Instead of “Don’t just stand there, DO something”, take the opposite to heart: “Don’t just DO something, stand there!””; then

LOOK, take a good long look at the world around you, at the things God has created and the things He has allowed into your lives; and lastly,

LISTEN. Listen to the sounds of nature, the song of the birds, the wind, the ocean, the rain, the summer crickets – they’re all a part of God’s musical chorus…then go from the Works to the Word, and I guarantee that you will open up a new line of communication with the Father that will absolutely blow you away.

God doesn’t hit us over the head and throw us down and handcuff us to a chair so we’ll take a spoonful of the medicinal advice that he has for us, does He? No, He simply says, “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” Just tune in to My wavelength, sit yourself down in My kitchen and see what I’m going to dish up for you!” You better believe it will be a feast fit for a King!

We are all artists in a sense – craftsmen in whatever it is we do with our lives – not just painting or drawing, but singing or playing an instrument or writing, or speaking, or cooking, or raising a family, or working in an office, or mentoring, or teaching, or perhaps, if you are a senior citizen like me, simply imparting some gems of wisdom that God has instilled in you to pass on to the younger generation.

And each one of us has “Artworks for God” to bring Him, to lay at His feet, for His honor and His glory

BOTTOM LINE: God’s Word is out there in vivid, living color just waiting to guide, instruct, encourage, uplift, and give you joy and peace and comfort. All you need to do is open your eyes, your ears, and your heart and let Him talk to you visually as you look at the color illustrations of His Word all around you. Then you, too, will “sing to the Lord a new song”!

[See also Job 38 and 39, where God gives Job a glimpse of His greatness and infinite wisdom, especially as seen in the wonders of creation.]
_______________________________
Reprinted by permission. ©Copyright Barbara Hilford
_______________________________

Brought to you by Animal Talk Naturally!