our refuge in the storm...

Last year when God gave me the inspiration for my mom's painting I hadn't thought of how it might touch the lives of others.  Jenny loved the painting, as it was inspired by God's promise in Craig's life.

When Jenny requested a painting for her own home I didn't want to just duplicate the same thing I'd done for my mom.  It didn't seem right somehow and knowing myself I was sure that I would never be happy with the recreated results.  As with the last painting I had no ideas as to what to paint.  All I knew was that the colors should be the same in any painting that I made for them.

I prayed again for some inspiration.  God brought to my mind the path that our family had walked over the last year.  The storm that He had brought us through.  The mercy we received from Him.  How He alone carried us through one of the most difficult things that we had ever been through.  This is the result entitled, "Hope Through the Storm"...

and God led me to the perfect verse, Psalm 57:1

Jenny and I recently had a conversation about how unbelievably merciful God was to our family and to Craig throughout that storm.  The doctors warned us that the brain tumor would most likely change Craig's personality as it progressed.  That he would become a different person, one who was agitated and angry all the time.  They also told us that he would be unable to recognize us, his family.  God was so merciful.  He spared us all from any of that additional pain.  Craig's personality never changed and when you looked into his eyes you could see that he recognized everyone.  

When we are experiencing the storms in life isn't it amazing to know that God is already through to the other side?!  He knows the outcome and He carries us through.  All we have to do is keep our eyes on Christ.  In Matthew chapter 14 when Peter faithfully stepped out of the boat in the middle of the storm, and had his eyes on the Lord, he was able walk on the water towards Jesus.  But as soon as Peter took his eyes off of Christ he sank.  We need to keep our eyes on Christ and cling to Him when we are walking through the storms of destruction in our own lives.  He will protect us.  He is our refuge. 

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.