Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Waves
By Ramone - August 26, 2008
*Please feel free to leave comments about this picture and what it means to you!*
And now, thus says the Lord God who made you, O Jacob, and who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I redeemed you. I called you by your name, for you are Mine. If you pass through water, I am with you; and the rivers shall not overflow you. If you pass through fire, you shall not be burned up, nor shall the flame consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, who saves you... Since you were precious in My sight, you became glorious, and I love you.This came during prayer & Bible study. A sister had missed her flight back from Okinawa and had a hard time coping with the "waves" of emotions that beat on her... I'm stupid, I should've listened better, I should've paid more attention, if only I had... etc. When she had been waiting in the airport, she called and emailed us by cellphone, and my wife and I answered back that we were praying for her and that she should pray, too. It helped her a lot then to remember to pray... the experience and the feelings it brought about had been so overwhelming she had completely forgotten.
Isaiah 43:1-4 (LXX)
When she came back and we were having a Bible study together, she asked what she can do in that kind of situation when "the waves" come. I don't remember if she said it that way ("waves") but at least it was the feeling I got as she talked... and this picture came, and also the words Christ spoke:
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."The picture came at the same time, and I quickly did a marker outline of it. (I later put big swaths of ink and white watercolor on top of it, and it is as you see it now... I think it came out more beautifully than I could've imagined!) So Jesus' words and this picture that came got us thinking, and we talked and prayed about this for the rest of the Bible study.
- Jesus (Matthew 7:24-27)
1) What is "sand" in our lives, and what is "rock"?
The "answer" of course, is that our emotions are "sand" because they are so easily shifted. Our feelings are important & real, and they indicate many things of what's going on inside of us. But they are no foundation. If our faith is resting on how we're feeling, then our faith will go up and down with our feelings. When difficult events come and beat us like waves, we'll be tossed around with them.
It got us thinking, too, that we have many things we think are "rock" but are not... my ability to be strong and get through something, my own sense of determination, my family, my friends, etc. There are many things that we treat as rock but that are not really rock. They are just as shiftable as sand. Only Christ is truly rock.
2) But what does that mean, that Christ is "rock"?
I suppose it's a little easier for me personally because I've seen myself falter and fail at so many things... from my own lack of determination, education, focus, motivation or ability to endure, etc. I wouldn't be where I am today if God had not picked me up and helped me to grow up, too! I've had so many of my "rocks" removed through all these things, and learned (and am still learning) step by step that,
a) He Himself is my rock: He doesn't move or change!That said, we are all going through a lifelong process of discovering how truly He is rock and all other things to us are sand. And no one said that it would be easy, either.
b) His love never moves or changes!
c) No matter what the situation is, HE is in control! That's who He is!
d) How He looks at me (in love!) never moves or changes!
e) No matter how I fail, He is there to support me and help me out!
f) Everything He says is true, and His perspective is what counts and is what will stand though waves and storms!
Although we "know" He is rock, it doesn't mean the waves won't scare us or beat against us at times. When I did the original quick marker outline, the eyes of the person on the rock weren't perfectly circular, so it looks like he/she is crying. Sometimes we forget He is our rock, but He puts us back on it (back on Him) and brings us to an inner place of 'Sabbath' rest, resting on the Rock, like this:
Here are some words from Scripture that really speak of this, and that can stay with us during difficult times as we learn more and more that He alone is rock, our rock, the Rock. Take time to think about what the "waves" are that are attacking you or tossing you around. Think of what you've been trusting in that is not really rock but is actually sand. Then read these words, realizing who He is to our "waves":
He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
He drew me out of deep waters. (Psalm 18:16)
He leads me beside quiet waters. (Psalm 23:2)
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. (Psalm 29:3)
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You
while You may be found;
surely when the mighty waters rise,
they will not reach him. (Psalm 32:6)
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah. (Psalm 46:2-3)
He turned the sea into dry land,
they passed through the waters on foot—
come, let us rejoice in Him. (Psalm 66:6)
Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
the floods engulf me.
Rescue me from the mire,
do not let me sink;
deliver me from ... the deep waters. (Psalm 69:1-2,14)
Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,
mightier than the breakers of the sea—
the Lord on high is mighty. (Psalm 93:4)
At Your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of Your thunder they took to flight. (Psalm 104:7)
If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel say-
...the raging waters would have swept us away...
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 124:1,5,8)
Reach down your hand from on high;
deliver me and rescue me
from the mighty waters. (Psalm 144:7)
# posted by Ramone @ 12:42 PM 
Comments:
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Here are some blessed words from brothers and sisters around the world... I sent them the picture before explaining it and asked for what the Spirit put in them. God is wonderful!
*****
Well, I'll try to share what I see from this picture. The waves are our problems, our concerns, our fears, etc. The rock that the man in the picture has embraced is Jesus Christ.
The problem is that the waves seems really huge. They may really be huge, or our fears and imaginations may multiply them. But this doesn't matter. What matters, I think, is that the man's focus is on the Rock, not on the waves. Actually he has turned his back at the waves. He has chosed to turn his back to the waves deliberately and grasp the cross.
At this moment I see another picture that is not depicted in this one. I see a cliff on the top of which is built a fortress and inside this fortress a man sleeping peacefully while outside in the midst of a terrible storm the waves are crazily hitting the cliff.
Love,
Konti
*****
Amen, brother Kont.
When I saw the picture I thought pretty much the same with Konti.
The man has embraced the Rock very tightly and has turned his back to the waves. Now to me this is good news.
We are that man and the Rock is our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to embrace our Lord and turn our back to the waves because they will come and go , but the Rock will stay firmly in His place. He won't move because He is the ROCK, while the waves will come and go. This again is good news. The Rock will never move from His place because He is the Rock. That's what He does. He stays firmly in His Place.
Brothers and sisters, let's embrace this Rock, called Jesus Christ and turn our back to the waves, whatever they may be.
Brother Ramone, thank you so much for sharing this picture. While I was writing this email, the Lord spoke to my spirit and I shared it with you.
In the Lord,
Adi
*****
Wow! What a statement about the Christian life. Sometimes we are totally unaware of the waves that are enveloping us, but in Him we are connected and anchored to our Rock, our Jesus and cannot be moved from Him. Praise the Lord for this love that can never be moved. Thanks dear Ramone for sharing your portion of "The Rock"
Love,
Joycie
*****
The way my spirit has responded to this painting is very unique. There are a couple of things I feel from the painting.
As somebody who was born and raised by the Adriatic sea, I totally can relate to the waves and the water be it either shallow at the shore or deep far away from the shore. My spirit knows that the Lord has been and is and will forever be my ocean.
As a young swimmer/believer I loved to splash out at the shore where water was shallow, where splashes were noisy and where everyone can see me carrying the cross of Christ - a total show off. Of course I did it for His glory even the noise and the splashes - however at that young age and stage of faith, that was the place I was at and God allowed that to happen.
As an adult swimmer/grown- up believer, somebody who God has given a lot of cross to bear but at the same time has enabled me to swim in deep waters, my spirit gets the meaning picture and the image of waves in a higher way. God enabled me to swim to far away waters and far away from the noisy splashes. Having enabled me to go deeper in His Ocean, the physics work differently, no matter how heavy the load is that you are carrying, it is no longer you carrying it, it is the water - simply physics. When I swim in the deep waters now, first - nobody can see me as I am far from the human eyes who still love the splashing effects, second - I still have the cross on my shoulders but in deep waters His cross is light and He who is the ocean is carrying it. Third, no matter how hard I attempt to do the noisy showoff splashes - in the deep waters that doesn't work. And the waves are not small in the deep waters, His waves are high and can carry you easily up to one km from the place you thought you were.
Beautiful painting my dear brother Ramone.
Kalia
*****
Thank you, sister, for sharing the Lord with us. I really like the way He speaks to us. It is so different, but it is still the Lord who is speaking and when He speaks what comes out of Him is Life.
In the Lord,
Adi
*****
Hi Sisters and Brothers
What I see is a Christian who called to do the work. But at times they do not know and I mean absolutely do not know what God the Father is doing. I am reminded of what Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds".
This Christian is the seed of God, this Christian is on the rock. Right now they are seeing a little at a time what the Lord is saying about a bride being birthed where they live. They are intinctatively learning to rest in and on the rock which is Christ. Waves of water are all the things that are coming at them to try to knock them off. At times it seems that as if they are holding on to the rock. But really it is the rock holding on to them. The eyes of the person give away something really clear which is saying I don't know what is about to happen, there is a part of me that is scared. I am worried (which involves my intellect) my brain, my emotions want switch off. But the person is learning intinctatively to turn to the Lord. Causing their mind and their soul to be at peace. Because their learning intinctatively to rest upon the rock.
In closing the harvest is white but the laborers are few. Why? Because many are called to be with the Father in his vineyard but they will not allow him to do the work with in them first. Many are called but few are chosen. Many go the way of the religion. Why? They cannot handle the not knowing what God is doing. It makes them feel weak, frighten and insecure. A Christian does want to appear weak among the people in their life. But God will make them not care before it is all said and done.
But this Christian, is in good company. Moses did not know what God was doing at times, Noah did not know what God was doing at times, Paul did not always know what God was doing at times. They did not know in their intellect what he was doing. Hold on to your seat. Jesus did not always know what the Father was doing in his intellect but in his spirit he always, always, always knew what God his Father was doing. He was learning intinctatively to true meaning of what it is to walk by faith.
Love
Don
*****
Well, I'll try to share what I see from this picture. The waves are our problems, our concerns, our fears, etc. The rock that the man in the picture has embraced is Jesus Christ.
The problem is that the waves seems really huge. They may really be huge, or our fears and imaginations may multiply them. But this doesn't matter. What matters, I think, is that the man's focus is on the Rock, not on the waves. Actually he has turned his back at the waves. He has chosed to turn his back to the waves deliberately and grasp the cross.
At this moment I see another picture that is not depicted in this one. I see a cliff on the top of which is built a fortress and inside this fortress a man sleeping peacefully while outside in the midst of a terrible storm the waves are crazily hitting the cliff.
Love,
Konti
*****
Amen, brother Kont.
When I saw the picture I thought pretty much the same with Konti.
The man has embraced the Rock very tightly and has turned his back to the waves. Now to me this is good news.
We are that man and the Rock is our Lord Jesus Christ. We are to embrace our Lord and turn our back to the waves because they will come and go , but the Rock will stay firmly in His place. He won't move because He is the ROCK, while the waves will come and go. This again is good news. The Rock will never move from His place because He is the Rock. That's what He does. He stays firmly in His Place.
Brothers and sisters, let's embrace this Rock, called Jesus Christ and turn our back to the waves, whatever they may be.
Brother Ramone, thank you so much for sharing this picture. While I was writing this email, the Lord spoke to my spirit and I shared it with you.
In the Lord,
Adi
*****
Wow! What a statement about the Christian life. Sometimes we are totally unaware of the waves that are enveloping us, but in Him we are connected and anchored to our Rock, our Jesus and cannot be moved from Him. Praise the Lord for this love that can never be moved. Thanks dear Ramone for sharing your portion of "The Rock"
Love,
Joycie
*****
The way my spirit has responded to this painting is very unique. There are a couple of things I feel from the painting.
As somebody who was born and raised by the Adriatic sea, I totally can relate to the waves and the water be it either shallow at the shore or deep far away from the shore. My spirit knows that the Lord has been and is and will forever be my ocean.
As a young swimmer/believer I loved to splash out at the shore where water was shallow, where splashes were noisy and where everyone can see me carrying the cross of Christ - a total show off. Of course I did it for His glory even the noise and the splashes - however at that young age and stage of faith, that was the place I was at and God allowed that to happen.
As an adult swimmer/grown- up believer, somebody who God has given a lot of cross to bear but at the same time has enabled me to swim in deep waters, my spirit gets the meaning picture and the image of waves in a higher way. God enabled me to swim to far away waters and far away from the noisy splashes. Having enabled me to go deeper in His Ocean, the physics work differently, no matter how heavy the load is that you are carrying, it is no longer you carrying it, it is the water - simply physics. When I swim in the deep waters now, first - nobody can see me as I am far from the human eyes who still love the splashing effects, second - I still have the cross on my shoulders but in deep waters His cross is light and He who is the ocean is carrying it. Third, no matter how hard I attempt to do the noisy showoff splashes - in the deep waters that doesn't work. And the waves are not small in the deep waters, His waves are high and can carry you easily up to one km from the place you thought you were.
Beautiful painting my dear brother Ramone.
Kalia
*****
Thank you, sister, for sharing the Lord with us. I really like the way He speaks to us. It is so different, but it is still the Lord who is speaking and when He speaks what comes out of Him is Life.
In the Lord,
Adi
*****
Hi Sisters and Brothers
What I see is a Christian who called to do the work. But at times they do not know and I mean absolutely do not know what God the Father is doing. I am reminded of what Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds".
This Christian is the seed of God, this Christian is on the rock. Right now they are seeing a little at a time what the Lord is saying about a bride being birthed where they live. They are intinctatively learning to rest in and on the rock which is Christ. Waves of water are all the things that are coming at them to try to knock them off. At times it seems that as if they are holding on to the rock. But really it is the rock holding on to them. The eyes of the person give away something really clear which is saying I don't know what is about to happen, there is a part of me that is scared. I am worried (which involves my intellect) my brain, my emotions want switch off. But the person is learning intinctatively to turn to the Lord. Causing their mind and their soul to be at peace. Because their learning intinctatively to rest upon the rock.
In closing the harvest is white but the laborers are few. Why? Because many are called to be with the Father in his vineyard but they will not allow him to do the work with in them first. Many are called but few are chosen. Many go the way of the religion. Why? They cannot handle the not knowing what God is doing. It makes them feel weak, frighten and insecure. A Christian does want to appear weak among the people in their life. But God will make them not care before it is all said and done.
But this Christian, is in good company. Moses did not know what God was doing at times, Noah did not know what God was doing at times, Paul did not always know what God was doing at times. They did not know in their intellect what he was doing. Hold on to your seat. Jesus did not always know what the Father was doing in his intellect but in his spirit he always, always, always knew what God his Father was doing. He was learning intinctatively to true meaning of what it is to walk by faith.
Love
Don
Suddenly I am reminded of the song by Reuben Morgan:
Hide me now
under Your wings
Cover me
within Your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father, You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God
Find rest, my soul
in Christ alone
Know His power
in quietness and trust
Hide me now
under Your wings
Cover me
within Your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father, You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God
Find rest, my soul
in Christ alone
Know His power
in quietness and trust
More comments from the Pursuers...
Amen Brother [Don]
This is the power of faith
Moses did not know, but he had faith
Noah did not know, but he had faith
Paul did not know, but he had faith
Even Jesus in His human nature did not know, but He had faith (of course He had a living spirit also, and we have that too)
To have faith is to see what your physical eyes do not see and to hope what your mind considers as impossible.
- Elton
Amen Brother [Don]
This is the power of faith
Moses did not know, but he had faith
Noah did not know, but he had faith
Paul did not know, but he had faith
Even Jesus in His human nature did not know, but He had faith (of course He had a living spirit also, and we have that too)
To have faith is to see what your physical eyes do not see and to hope what your mind considers as impossible.
- Elton
On an artist's forum, someone shared this word (given by Mitzi Busby) which I think really illustrates His heart for us all very well:
I Am In The Midst Of The Storm
I am not calming the raging waters around you, but I am stilling you in the midst of the storm. Things have not gone as you planned, but I am rising up strong in you and in your struggles. The things that you will learn during this time could only come through experience. "If only you would have listened, your peace would have flowed like the river and your righteousness as the waves of the sea."
Still, now is the time to calm your spirit and listen to Me. I bring peace, not as the world knows it. The peace I bring is not temporal. It does not rely on circumstances, but relies upon My Truth.
I have been with you all along, through the good decisions and through the bad ones. I have not forsaken you and will not. As Your Father, I will walk you through your darkest valleys to the next mountaintop. The journey is long but well worth the trip. Do not lose hope. Hope in Me. I never let go, but always perform all that I promise.
True repentance and total trust in Me will open doors for you that no person could. Listen. Listen, My Spirit is speaking to the deepest depths of your soul, but you must quiet yourself to hear Me. I sing over you the songs you need to sustain you. Hold fast to My Word. Be honest with Me and with yourself. Commit it all to Me and watch for My outcome. Seek My heart for your life, and not your own. You have done things your own way, now try Mine.
I never let go. See what I will do on your behalf. I will heal the broken places to make you whole.
I Am In The Midst Of The Storm
I am not calming the raging waters around you, but I am stilling you in the midst of the storm. Things have not gone as you planned, but I am rising up strong in you and in your struggles. The things that you will learn during this time could only come through experience. "If only you would have listened, your peace would have flowed like the river and your righteousness as the waves of the sea."
Still, now is the time to calm your spirit and listen to Me. I bring peace, not as the world knows it. The peace I bring is not temporal. It does not rely on circumstances, but relies upon My Truth.
I have been with you all along, through the good decisions and through the bad ones. I have not forsaken you and will not. As Your Father, I will walk you through your darkest valleys to the next mountaintop. The journey is long but well worth the trip. Do not lose hope. Hope in Me. I never let go, but always perform all that I promise.
True repentance and total trust in Me will open doors for you that no person could. Listen. Listen, My Spirit is speaking to the deepest depths of your soul, but you must quiet yourself to hear Me. I sing over you the songs you need to sustain you. Hold fast to My Word. Be honest with Me and with yourself. Commit it all to Me and watch for My outcome. Seek My heart for your life, and not your own. You have done things your own way, now try Mine.
I never let go. See what I will do on your behalf. I will heal the broken places to make you whole.
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