Sandi Hester

I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  Revelation 21:2

Where morning dawns and evening fades You call forth songs of joy.  Psalm 65:8

This painting is of a sunrise and a sunset – between the two God has called forth songs of joy for today… can you hear them?

You will go out in joy and be lead forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.   Isaiah 55:12 

Who knew that mountains could sing and trees even had hands to clap?  Who are they singing to and who are they clapping for?  Their Creator, that’s who.  They are in constant praise of their Maker.  I’m looking out my breakfast room window right now and my backyard is full of trees – they all stand with arms raised high praising their Creator.  When the wind blows through them, you can see them “clapping their hands”.  What will you do with your voice and hands today?  Will you praise the One who not only made you, but died for you and bought you at a very high price?  Or will the rocks cry out in your place?

This is a painting I did very early on in my painting “career” (if you can call it that).  It was actually a mistake – a mess up (I have  a LOT of those).  I painted this tree and hated it, so I practiced writing the scripture on the page that inspired me to paint the tree and I hated my writing even more than the tree.  I wanted to tear it up and throw it in the trash – but instead, I put it away.  Months later I pulled it out and LOVED it!  What changed???  I’m still not sure, but that happens all the time to me.  I paint something and hate it, and then I’ll look at it later and want to frame it.  It’s really weird how that works.  I do love this verse – may it stir your heart toward your Maker today – praise Him for He is more than worthy to be praised!

“Come now, let us reason together,” says the Lord.  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”  Isaiah 1:18

Here are a couple of pictures I painted of some trees (I can’t remember the name of them – that’s not surprising since some days I can’t remember my own name) while on a ski trip in Deer Valley, Utah.  Grady will be impressed that I remembered what state we were in (Grady, I actually cheated and looked it up – I was actually going to put Deer Valley, Colorado 🙂 ).  I thought since it’s been so hot out I would give you a picture and scripture that would send cold thoughts your way.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.  Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  Romans 8:22-23

Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.  Fine linen, bright and clean was given her to wear.  Revelation 19:7-8

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.  Isaiah 48:10

This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.  They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’  Zechariah 13:9 

I have to say before I begin this post that I’m wondering if this painting, along with the poem that inspired it, is going to make sense to anyone else but me.  I usually run my art by Grady, because sometimes other people don’t get what I was trying to do with a painting – this could be one of those 🙂 – we’ll see.

I have a poem in the back of my bible that I recently came across that touched me (as it does every time I read it) and inspired me.  The poem makes me think of Moses and the burning bush.  Exodus 3:3 says, “Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up”.  So here’s, my vision of the burning bush and the poem that inspired this painting…

“Your holy Fire now burns within and purges every secret sin; my life the bush, Your life the Flame that leaves me nevermore the same.  A heart like Yours, my one desire; do Your work, Refiner’s Fire.”  ~Jennifer Kennedy Dean