Rest and Remember God

"And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, 

which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, 

you shall never see again.  The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.'"  

Exodus 14:13-14

Hello, Sweet n Sassy Creatives!!
Journaling a bit in Exodus today.  I was surprised to find that I hadn't yet journaled on this page, or anywhere near it.  I better go back over it, yes? :D

Hmmm…"you have only to be silent."  At this moment in time, Moses is desperately trying to calm a nation who feels they're on the verge of utter annihilation.  The Eygyptians are closing in behind them, and they have nothing but a vast sea full of doubt in front!  They begin to cry out in agony over the impending capture - or slaughter - by Pharoah's army.  I cannot imagine the sound of torturous cries from millions of people; I cannot imagine what Moses must have thought as the forces of hysteria and panic moved in. 

Moses strains with resolve to be heard among the complaints, and with it pleas with the Israelites to continue to believe and be still!  I don't think Moses did what any kindergarten teacher would do in a room full of 30+ rowdy 5 year olds.  *finger to his lips* "Ok, people hush now.  Hush, please.  Ssshh, people of Israel.  Let's use our indoor voices; we don't need to worry about big, bad army." 

Nah. 

The context would suggest that his voice and righteous indignation had to be carried over a crowd of wailing and mourning.  "PEOPLE!  The Egyptians have nothing on our God!  Watch and see that He has already gone before you!  He will save us, so SHUT IT!" 

My thoughts for this journaling page were just to create something that looked like a body of water.  I used distress ink oxides to achieve the look of water and reflections, then used the "Texture Tile 2" stamp set to bring out some highlights in the water.  It helped to have the "Beach Blessings" printables, by our very own, Diane Noble - I had an enormous supply of water critters to choose from: starfish, shells, nets, birds, anchors, etc.  This time, the starfish at the bottom of the sea (which is where the Egyptian army ended up), were used.  I printed them on Avery sticker paper so they're see-through. 

After that, I created a tip down with one of the printable journaling cards from the set, with a simple sentiment: Rest, and remember God. 

Moses wasn't trying to cheer a nation of cry-babies up; he was reaffirming the confidence they once had in God Almighty to work in THIS situation, too.  God had proven His power among idolatrous Egypt.  He'd gone far beyond ANYTHING the "magicians" could do.  And He'd showed Himself worthy of praise and trust when He calmly ushered all millions of Hebrews out the city gates. 

Rest, and remember God.  I know I'm not alone in this; I know that I'm not the only one who has struggled to keep my cool when things heat up.  I know I'm in "good company" when I share that I've misplaced my trust in the One who has brought me out of my bondage to sin.  Let me tell you right now, God is not surprised by ANY SINGLE ONE of our hissy fits or lack-luster outbursts.  Unfortunately, however, it's the hard lessons that teach us, so if we have to go through a time of heartbreak and uncertainty, God will allow it if it means we get closer to Him.  And at first we may tantrum and complain, but when we realize that He's GOD ALMIGHTY, we'll see waters part and Egyptians drown right before our eyes. 

We can rest and remember that God has delivered and rescued us before - He plans on doing it again.  Both in the here and now, and for eternity future!

We can rest and remember that whatever God is working in our circumstances, there's much more going on in our heart - a greater growth and mutation for His glory is happening that really cannot be seen!  Praise His holy name!

We can rest and remember that though it seems the chaos swarms like angry hornets around us, God is preparing and shaping us for at Eternity of peace and harmony.  "We need only be silent."  We need only to wait.  We need only to trust. 

The Israelites learned some valuable lessons - besides humility - there at the Red Sea.  God does not operate by man's rules and expectations.  His love goes so far beyond what we can imagine and He will do everything in HIS power and in HIS will to show us His glory that we may praise and trust Him.  Oh, that I could trust Him more!

Much love,

Deeds

Victory

The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. 2 Samuel 8:5,14

Dear Friends,

Are you living in victory?

2 Samuel 7 ends with David's beautiful prayer of trust and praise. 2 Samuel 8 tells us of David's victories in conquering the Philistines, Moabites, and other nations. This was a high point for David. But, as we know, he also had low points. But, David loved God. He trusted God. And we can too.

You may not feel like you're living in victory, but our victory comes from God. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can claim that victory NOW! Through Jesus, we are forgiven and redeemed. We can fellowship with our Creator. And, we can never lose our salvation. Knowing those truths, we can live in victory even in the lowest of lows. Jesus is our hope. He is our victory. Live that hope and victory no matter what your circumstances are. Is it hard? Yes! But Jesus is with with you always. Rest in Him. Trust in Him.

I wanted to also share some of the process of this page. The Sweet n Sassy Stamps set called Sing Loud has the words "LOUD" and "GLORY" in the same lettering. I wanted to use those stamps to make "LORD". I've done this before by masking the "U" in "LOUD" out and adding in the "R" from "GLORY". Well, without thinking, I stamped "LOUD" onto the page without masking out the "U". EEEK! 

Mistakes happen. And we may have to get creative to fix them! I decided to cover "LOUD" with washi tap and then I cut out the letters for "LORD" from a sticker sheet. Mess-up fixed! 

I used stamps from the following Sweet n Sassy Stamps sets: Scribble Flowers, The Good News, Words of Life: Common Words 1, and Sing Loud. I used watercolor crayons for the color.
   
Live in victory, friends! Be blessed. Andrea

Sing Praises

Good morning, dear friends!  Cathy here with a Bible Journal page to share with you.  Outside is dark and all is quiet as I sit and write this post, but in my heart I am praising my God and thinking back on all of his goodness!

The page in my Interleaved Bible (**love working on these full pages**) was prepped twice with clear gesso before watercoloring the background with what I call the "Acetate Smash Technique."  Scribble a little water based marker on some acetate, spritz with water, and dab, smash and smear it on the page.  Dry with a heat tool and continue layering on the colors.  The images and words were stamped using the Sing Loud, Words of Life: Common Words 1, and Rebecca Script Alpha (to add the "s" on the word praise) stamp sets from the Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps Store.  The images were then watercolored using the same markers used for the background.

Many times in the psalms we read how King David was being pursued by enemies, was in despair, was considering the prosperity of the wicked, and was feeling the weight of his circumstances.  His response was to begin thanking and praising God for His goodness.  As a result, even though his circumstances did not change,  he was able to find rest for his soul.

So, my friend, if you are struggling with circumstances right now, God is still good.  He loves you with an everlasting love.  Begin to praise Him and get ready for a heart change.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!  Have a wonderful day praising the Lord!

Hugs,

Cathy

Jump For Joy

Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets. Luke 6:22-23

Friends, did you catch that? Jesus said to leap for joy when you are hated, ostracized, insulted or scorned for His sake. Is that your first response- jumping for joy? I know it's not mine! 

I have read these verses many times. But I hadn't really caught the joy part. These verses are part of the Beatitudes listed in Luke. Not only should we be filled with joy, but we are blessed. And when I think of it, what other purpose but to stand for my Savior is more worthy of being hated, ostracized, insulted or scorned for? I should be filled with joy no matter my circumstances when I'm standing firm in Christ...just like the New Testament followers were.

Peter: But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed. 
1 Peter 4:13

Paul: For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

James: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

I used the following sets: Chunky Alpha, Furry Friends, Words of Life: Common Words 1, and a NEW alpha set called Rebecca Script. It's being released TOMORROW along with 2 more alphas! I love them all! and they are great for Bible journaling or card making. Make sure to visit Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps to check out the new stamps!

Jump for joy, my friends, jump for joy. I'll be jumping right along with you. Be blessed! Andrea