Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prayer. Show all posts
New Christian Art -- Letting God Redeem and Restore our Memory: Annulling Agreements with the Enemy and Embracing God's Truth
Stacy Lee

Memory

They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.
~Psalm 145:7

Ever feel like this? (I have!) Looking back over our pasts can be excruciatingly painful if we don't let God radically transform our trials and wounds for His Glory. We have to be willing to let go of those memories and allow the healing power of God to come in and restore those areas of our lives. That is what this artwork is all about. It is about allowing God to restore our memory and align our history up with His truth.

Here is the thing (and I know this from first hand experience), Satan attacks us through our wounds and memories. If we let our memory and wounds remain in the dark, we will continue to live in unhealthy cycles of pain. Once we allow our history to be exposed to the light of Christ, He removes the lies and the darkness of the enemy and sets us free to walk in truth.

I pray that as you are reading this blog and looking at this artwork, that God would do a mighty work in you. I pray He would reveal to you the memories and wounds He wants to heal you from and expose all the lies you have agreed with the enemy on. I pray in the Name of Jesus that He would break those agreements you've made with the enemy and set you free forever with His Truth. May His Truth be planted in your hearts and take root in a mighty and powerful way--so much so that many others will also be brought to the Truth of Christ as a result of the fruit that springs forth from the seeds of Truth that Jesus has planted in you. In Jesus Name I pray this, Amen.

On a side note, please forgive my absence. I am in the middle of a major season of transition because God has opened up a new door in my life. It is an exciting but crazy time and I'd appreciate your prayers as I await God's provision. I am now on a church planting team and will be putting a lot of time and effort into building His church. Praise Him!

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Surrendering to God's Time for Everything: A Waiting Heart
Stacy Lee

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. James 5:17-18

It is a privilege and a pleasure to wait on the Lord. He alone can satisfy our deepest desires and needs. I think life is oftentimes a journey to learn how to wait and prepare. We have to surrender our clocks and our time over to the Lord and let Him decide what is the best timing for all things and seasons in our lives. He alone knows all things so it is best just to seek His wisdom and trust Him with every season He does or doesn't bring into our lives. His ways are higher than ours, and it is best if we surrender to His sovereignty sooner rather than later.

I think God answered Elijah's prayer because he was willing to wait for the Lord. He knew what God wanted, prayed for Him to do it, trusted Him to do it and then waited for Him to do it. His whole life and time table was surrendered to God's hands.

Is there an area in your life that you will not sacrifice your time for? Have you been unwilling to give God your watch? If we are to be fully surrendered to our Master, we must obey His clock and not our own. This is part of the process of denying ourselves and our own imperfect wisdom by surrendering to His Master plan. God always knows best. Are you willing to surrender your time to Him today?

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Contemporary Christian Art: Habakkuk's Watchtower
Stacy Lee

Habakkuk's Watchtower

“I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.”
~Habakkuk 2:1

This is obviously a very contemporary, modern take on this particular scripture. God formulated this piece to show the issue of prayer, the heart (which is on the line literally and symbolically) and time. Wait. Watch. God reminds me time and time again, if we really love Him, we will be willing to wait for Him. Waiting on God sends the message that "No, I won't take matters into my own hands, I will wait on the Lord because I trust Him. He is always good and will always take care of His children no matter what." The reality is, we CAN wait on the Lord when He tells us to wait because we can trust a God who is always good.

Scriptures to go along with this:

 Be still before the LORD
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes. ~Psalm 37:7

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth. ~Psalm 37: 8&9

Trust in the LORD, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart. ~Psalm 37: 3-4

Waiting and trust go hand in hand. If I trust God, it is no problem for me to wait for Him when He says wait. In fact, it is a delight to do the will of a God who is personally available to us and who loves us unconditionally. I don't think we have any idea the wonderful things that God has planned for all of us:

Since ancient times no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. ~Isaiah 64:4

God has such amazing plans for us that we can't really even imagine them--they are THAT amazing! Remember this when you are in the valley and when you are in a season of waiting. Go on the watchtower--watch and wait there like Habakkuk. He will answer you. But we all have to be willing to wait.

You have given me greater joy
than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. ~Psalm 4:7

If we wait, one day we can sing this with David:
I've thrown myself headlong into your arms— I'm celebrating your rescue. I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of answered prayers. Psalm 13:5-6 The Message



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Save the Gulf: Charity Art In Response to the BP Oil Spill Disaster
Stacy Lee


Save the Gulf

I imagine earth joins me in crying out to God:
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
~Psalm 61:2



I don't live near the gulf, but I've been horrified by what I've seen on the news. This is my attempt at doing something about it. I've prayed and will continue to pray. This artwork is in response to prayer. 50% of the profits off this artwork will go to www.ibrrc.org who are down in the gulf now rescuing oiled wildlife. Unfortunately, the wildlife are the innocent victims of human greed.

I'm very concerned about the people in the gulf. I pray that God will have mercy and shield them from the toxins. I also pray that the oil can be contained as much as possible to keep from spreading. My heart goes to those who lost loved ones in this disaster and for those who will be out of food and out of work for an indefinite amount of time.

No doubt that earth is groaning and moaning and waiting for her King (Romans 8:22).

May God help us all and have mercy on us! Lord, please, have mercy!

LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O LORD. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy. ~Habakkuk 3:2

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. ~2 Chronicles 7:14

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Contemporary Christian Art: She Prayed with Prayer (Like Elijah)
Stacy Lee

She Prayed with Prayer

Elijah was a man of like passions to us, and he prayed with prayer that it should not rain; and it did not rain upon the earth three years and six months; and again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to spring forth. ~James 5:17-18

Have you ever gotten a hold of God in prayer? We often commend the prayer warriors of the Bible. But do we understand that they were just like us? God answers our prayers just like he would Elijah's when our hearts are in the right place. In this passage, James is encouraging us in prayer. He is telling us that God honors our prayers just like he does Elijah's prayers. God loves us the same! Will He not also honor our prayers?

Let's look at how James describes Elijah's prayer. He "prayed with prayer." This is the Greek language's way of describing intense, focused prayer. In other words, as Elijah prayed, he prayed. Have you ever been so desperate for God that you just got caught up in the prayer and absolutely nothing could break your focus? I think this is where Elijah stood. He got lost in his prayer because of his hunger and desperation for God. He knew God was the source and power of all things. God honors Elijah's passionate faith, and honored his prayer.

I think it's also important to mention that Elijah was a man who knew the Lord. His heart was broken over what he had seen so he begged God to stop the rain, or stop the flow of blessing from Heaven. Elijah prayed a prayer that would honor God and bring His people back to him. I believe Elijah had God and His people's best interests at heart.

With all this said, we can know God like Elijah. We can pray like Elijah. We can be desperate for God like Elijah. I'd encourage you today to search your heart. Ask the Lord to give you a prayer that would honor and glorify Him. Then get on your knees and cry out in desperation to the Lord to move. Experience like Elijah what it means to pray, as you pray.

May the Lord bless you in prayer! Remember, He loves YOU.

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Rise Above: When God is Calling You Up Higher on the Mountain
Stacy Lee

Rise Above

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there.” ~Exodus 24:12a

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. ~Psalm 61:2

You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet. ~Psalm 8:6

There comes a time in your life when God will call you up higher on the mountain to be alone with Him. You don't pick the time-- God does. He orders your steps. He orders your circumstances. Like the Psalmist says, "When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Psalm 61:2). When life becomes crushing and unbearable. When faith is the only thing you have left. When people (family, friends) turn their back on you. When the ones you helped have all walked out. When tragedy or trauma hits. When stress and pressure builds up and you become like a bomb just waiting to explode. It's time. It's time to go up higher on the mountain with the Lord.

During a season in my life when God called me up higher on the mountain, He revealed something important to me. My life circumstances were crushing, but what He told me on the mountain was soothing. He showed me Psalm 8:6. He reminded me there that He has put all things under our feet. He said to me, "Rise above." Then I got it! The higher up on the mountain we go with God the more things He puts under our feet. The closer I draw to my Lord the more I identify with HIM and the less I identify with my crushing circumstances. The more I see Jesus and focus on Him the more I rest in faith and not doubt, fear, worry, or despair.

Is He leading you to the Rock? Is He calling you up higher? Go to Him. Go higher. Draw near to the Lord. Let Him lift you up and put all these crushing things under your feet. The higher you go up on the mountain with the Lord the farther below your circumstances will go under you until they vanish and you can only focus on the One who called you. Peace.

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Union with God in Prayer for His Glory
Stacy Lee

Glory

Praise be to His glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
~Psalm 72:19

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
~1 Corinthians 10:31

We have to seek God in order to know what we can do in this life for His Glory. Oswald Chambers says that prayer makes us one with God (My Utmost for His Highest). It is our union with God in prayer--when two become one--that makes us re-sensitized to His Spirit and allows us to yield in our daily lives as He leads. If I have not sought God to become one with Him, I cannot claim to be working for His Glory in anything. Prayer always comes first because without that union with God we cannot have Christ in us actively working in our daily lives in everything to bring glory to the Father. Our own stubborn wills will counteract His, and we will be working against each other instead of working as one. This union with God can only come with prayer, and I am convinced it is the very foundation upon which the church is to stand. I cannot stand on the solid rock of Christ if I have not become one with Him in prayer first. If I am working against Christ out of my own stubborn will, I am working against the very foundation I claim to be standing on. In my union with Him I am made aware of just how solid and secure a foundation He is for my feet. In acting out of that union, I am secure in my actions and decisions that they are all for His Glory and not for my own selfish desires.

I pray God will move in our prayer time (in the church as a whole and as individuals) to make us one with Himself so we can move forward and bring Him the Glory that is rightfully His in all things. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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God Can Restore Your Wasted and Desolate Years
Stacy Lee

Restore the Desolate Years

I want to encourage you. It doesn't matter what you've done, what others have done to you, or what the enemy has thrown you into. God can restore your desolate years. This scripture has comforted me so much:

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
The crawling locust,
The consuming locust,
And the chewing locust,
My great army which I sent among you.

You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
And praise the name of the LORD your God,
Who has dealt wondrously with you;
And My people shall never be put to shame.

Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel:
I am the LORD your God
And there is no other.
My people shall never be put to shame. “
~Joel 2:25-27

Do you believe it? We may be a dead tree but all God has to do is breathe life into us and a new branch is born. Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25)-- He can resurrect anything! What I love about God is He will take the mistakes that we've made and use them later down the road for purpose that brings Him Glory and does us much good in the end.

Do not fear your past. He is the God of the second chance! All things work toward the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Be at peace, and let God work. If you let Him, He will restore your desolate and wasted years. He loves you.

Let us pray.

Father, comfort your children with these words. Lift them up and hold them close unto You. Let them remember Your faithfulness and Your promises. Redemption, O God, is only found in You, and we ask You to redeem us now and restore our wasted and desolate years. Have mercy on us Lord, and we thank You for Your lovingkindness. Help us to be a vessel for Your use so we may show the same mercy and lovingkindness You have shown us to others for Your Glory. We praise Lord, and we love You. We worship only You.

In Jesus Name,
Amen

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Giving Thanks to the Lord with Gratitude Overflowing
Stacy Lee

Gratitude Overflowing

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
~Colossians 2:6&7

We aren't nearly as gracious to the Lord as we should be (I know I'm not.) Here is my attempt in artistic prayer to say, "Thank You, Lord." No matter what season you are in your life, whether you are in a season of blessing or one of hardship, we always should look towards the cross and give thanks. It's His mercy and His grace that creates a grateful and compassionate people. I constantly have to remind myself during difficult times to give thanks to the Lord. The Joy that is found in salvation alone is enough. Yes, His grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:9). Let us remember to give thanks and praise to Him for He is good. Let us be vessels where gratitude is overflowing to our Lord who has given us the promise of eternal salvation in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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Prayer, Humility, Faith, Praise, and Habakkuk: Stand My Watch
Stacy Lee

Stand My Watch

I will stand my watch
And set myself on the rampart,
And watch to see what He will say to me,
And what I will answer when I am corrected.
~Habakkuk 2:1

Habakkuk knows that he worships a God he can dialogue with. We see a passionate man who goes straight to God concerning the slaughter of his people by a ungodly nation. Habakkuk prays knowing that God will answer. He stands on his watchtower, waiting for God's response. Habakkuk perseveres in waiting until God responds. So many of us pray and then we don't even wait for God's response. Habakkuk is willing to wait for his God. He knows that his God will show up. He knows that his God is worth waiting for. He knows that he can only find hope and correction in his God's response.

Not only does Habakkuk show wisdom and maturity by waiting for God, but in his humility as well. Habakkuk expects to be corrected. He cannot understand why God would punish His own people by an extremely ungodly nation. Yet, Habakkuk walks by faith and not by sight. He knows that things are not always what they seem. This is reiterated when God tells Habakkuk that the righteous shall live by his or her faith (2:4). Habakkuk learns to trust God and walk on what God says, despite his circumstances.

Perhaps the most amazing part of this book is Habakkuk's response, which is praise. He understands that God is sovereign and just. Although what Habakkuk perceives with his physical eyes is unjust, he knows in his heart that God is good and just. He knows that his only hope rests in God. Just as Paul and Silas praise God when they are thrown into prison and beaten, Habakkuk has the same response (Acts 16:25). What does this teach us? When a crisis arises, we still worship God. God is good all the time. God is soveriegn. The God who takes away and rebukes, will give again. In the end, we will be all the more better for it. For all things work toward the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). I believe Habakkuk knew this in his wise response of praise to God.

When you face a crisis, is your trust so deep in God that praise and worship is your first response? Do you wait on the Lord for an answer? Do you approach God with humility? Do you live by faith or by physical sight?

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Prayer Art: Lift Up Holy Hands
Stacy Lee

I desire therefore that people pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
~1 Timothy 2:8
The Word that is descending upon her is Isaiah 51.
Photomanipulation created in Photoshop CS2.

Prayer has to come first in the Christian life. I cannot be with my Maker unless I am engaged in constant prayer. I cannot walk and talk intimately with my God unless I am engaged in constant prayer. I cannot complete my tasks and missions I am called into on this earth unless I am engaged in constant prayer and seeking Him for the purposes He has called me into. I cannot love others unless I am engaged in constant prayer, talking with God and asking Him to teach me how to love others the way He has loved me. I cannot be healed unless I am engaged constant prayer seeking my Healer who knows every single strand of hair on my head. I cannot get through life's dangerous walk without heeding His warnings and guidance unless I am engaged in constant prayer.

The goal of Christianity should be to intimately know your Maker as deeply and richly as possible. It's getting back to that garden of Eden where Adam and Eve did walk with God in that beautiful place before the fall. Because Christ has come to set us free from the fall, we can get back there. Restored Adam and restored Eve in Christ can intimately know their Maker, and they are called to draw those around them into Christ so they may, too, be resurrected from their fallen state. I was a captive, but by allowing Christ into my heart and intimately engaging Him in prayer on a constant basis, I am freed every single day of my life. Sin and Satan cannot hold me. Prayer with my God keeps me alive on every level in my heart. And a heart fully alive, not shattered and broken, but whole in Christ is God's Glory revealed.

Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." This is only possible through prayer with God Himself-- so Jesus can enter in and do what He wants to do for all of God's children: set the captives free so we are God's Glory, which is being fully alive in Him. Prayer through Jesus Christ makes this possible to everyone. Praise God!

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