Prayer ART 101 Lesson 1

  I have been sketching, drawing, painting my entire life- at least as soon as crayons or other media was introduced to me.   I am intrigued by faces. I love to draw people's faces, to study the collection of curves, contour, and lines that create that one of a kind visage.  And I feel confident in my ability to capture a person's likeness.

   But if you ask me to draw a straight line, a star, I have great difficulty!

And don't even think about requesting a circle! Noooo sirrreeeeeee! 

At least not on canvas or in my sketchbook.  But I do make them in my Bible. 

{GASP!} 

 YES, I WRITE IN MY BIBLE, don't you?

  If you don't out of a God-given conviction then I step aside. But if it is because you heard someone say you shouldn't, then I challenge you to get your pen/highlighter, crayon- whatever is available and begin!  My Bible has promises highlighted in green,  references to the character of Christ in purple,  Praise in Yellow, and warnings in - well, I wanted to use red, but it is too dark, so, pink. 

    Arrows, exclamation points, question marks, dates and personal notes of revelation fill the margins. This has been a HUGE source of reflection and encouragement to me.

 Often I am reading and a verse or passage seems to "lift off the page". I call that the Holy Spirit's highlighter, ha!  It is God's way of getting our attention, usually for strengthening, but sometimes as warnings. When that happens, a new note and date are entered onto that page. 

     The Bible is alive, you know. It isn't a book by dead authors. The same lessons, truth, trials and victories they had, we have. The only thing that separates us is the date on the calendar. The truth breathes right into us, upon us when we read it. 

That is why it is so applicable!  So my Bible is a journal about my journey through it! 
     Circles have been talked about alot lately in Kingdom discussions, largely due to the author Mark Batterson and his work The Circle Maker.
 {***Good book for sure! Strongly recommend you reading it!}  
 It really uses the circle as an analogy or visual for persistence in prayer. 
 You may have heard the term "standing in faith"?
 The author exhorts us to find God's quickened promise to us and "circle it" with prayer. 

 I have many such circles drawn around passages in my Bible and in my heart. 

What about you? 

   A step in that direction is to note, underline, circle, square, highlight those promises right there on the page. It is ok if it isn't the neatest, most eye catching piece of art you create.

 As long as it is a work of HEart!  

  I leave you with one more image and a quote from  The Circle Maker:

 { My Dad's own Bible - if HE does it then it HAS to be a good thing! lol! }

"The promises of God are like the tree island in the middle of the lake.

 They are the difference between sinking and swimming

 because they give you a place to stand.

 And when He keeps His promises, you won't just stand on water;

 you will waltz into the Promised Land through waters God has parted."  

  

I am extending my staff of faith

for the parting and imminent completion of crossing over and planting my feet on that land I have seen by the Spirit for so long a time, 

circling all the way. I hope you will join me.  

As to the reference of the island, well, you just have to read the book!