Last month, the next course in the "Pray and Paint through the Psalms" came out.
In
"Safe & Secure", we paint and pray through Psalm 91 and explore the theme of being, feeling, and experiencing safety and security.
So often I share the first session of the course, but the rest of it is a bit of a mystery until you launch into it. I don't mean to be mysterious. I'm often moving on to another project that is asking for my attention.
If you could see my sweet hobbit-hole studio in NYC, you'd see projects in a few different corners along with a stack of cards to write, books to read, embroidery to finish, and a plethora of other partially finished projects! The smallness of the space has forced me to stay {mostly} organized, but the piles of projects are hard to eliminate completely!
But I want to be better at sharing more details of the course and what is inside as we paint and pray through the psalm together.
{If you'd like, you can check the
first session out for free here. You'll have access to the "start here" page where I explain the course and the first session which includes the video devotional, the painting project (with a paint-with-me video), the supply guide and journaling prompts.}
Okay, let's navigate through the paintings and some behind-the-scenes thoughts and dreams behind this project.
Painting through Psalm 9: Pictures & Stories
Each session (painting project + video devotional) covers two to three verses, but the first session is an overview of the whole psalm.
We paint a beautiful peony and then write in the attributes the psalmist uses to describe God and teach these truths to others.
If painting a peony feels intimidating, I break it down – you'll have fun and be so impressed with yourself. This spring I spent a lot of time painting one peony after another, mostly pink peonies (these were my favorites this year) and little by little, I figured out how to paint them in a way that was fun and pleasing to the eye.
Next, we move into the first few verses.
After I knew Psalm 91 was going to be the focus, I went through a bit of a muddy space and couldn't figure out what we were going to paint.
I thought and scribbled and sketched and prayed and played over ideas, other ideas started to emerge: protective castles with ivy and flowers creeping up the walls – a bit of a throwback to my girlhood daydreams of safety. Yours too?
Did you love books of castles and hidden places and grand adventures where all the protagonists defeated their enemies, overcame their challenges, found their lost loves and lived happily ever after?
This became session 2, where we dive into the couple of verses and look to God as our refuge and fortress. It's not our relationships, families, careers, finances, homes, and so forth, that are supposed to be the place where we trust. Yes, these good things can add stability, but they are not the foundation, the center of our lives (at least, that is the goal!). We wrestle through what that means in our world with very real needs and wants.
On to session three where one of the most recognizable verses of this psalm is:
"For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler." Psalm 91:3-4
Side note: I grew up with "He will cover you with his feathers," and to be honest I still can't figure out why pinions is the preferred word in the ESV version. If anyone knows, please let me know.
May I share that I wanted to paint eagles about as much as I wanted to paint sheep in the paint and pray through Psalm 23 course? As in, I didn't want to paint them at all! Painting animals is a bit intimidating for me.
In one of my earlier acrylic paintings from 2021, I incorporated a dog in the painting. It was inspired by a painting by the Impressionist painter Berthe Morisett, who I admire. My brother told me the dog looked like a deer, but the wrong size. He's not wrong! We had a good laugh over it.
Thankfully, my grandfather, who was an incredible artist, taught me a "trick" to painting birds years ago. I utilize that in this sketch. It's easy to learn with a bit of practice.
We start with a bit of splatter art to create the look of a vast field filled with wildflowers. Have you used a splatter technique before when painting with watercolor? It's so much fun.
Then sketches of storms came in the fourth session. There is a thrill to be had when one finds themselves caught in a storm, but only when one is prepared! Otherwise, it's simply a mess!
I love to walk in the rain with an umbrella and let the elements fall around me. Under that umbrella, I am safe from the rain. In New York, I've been able to experience many more thunderstorms than the rather meek and mild rainstorms in California. This past year I've stopped and watched the storms from the protection of a building or under an umbrella.
To be caught in an actual thunderstorm is one sort of adventure. To be caught in one of the storms of life is yet another. Storms do not cease. As we get older, we learn to navigate through them with less angst (sometimes). But the storms don't seem to get easier either. They wear us down in so many ways.
And yet, the promise of Psalm 91, and throughout the word of God, is that no matter how ugly and fierce the storm gets, we're safe. We're secure.
I thought about that a lot that as I painted the girl hiding under the umbrella in session four, the rain pouring down slanted, fierce, intense around her.
Her dress, her person, even the flowers nearby her, all under the umbrella, are safe and secure.
In session five, we dive into painting more flowers. In fact, sessions five, six and seven are full of flowers!
In session five, we revisit the theme of making the Lord our dwelling place, the condition all the promises in the psalm rely on. We paint a path through a beautiful patch of nature, with trees surrounding the path. We add in coneflowers and hyacinths.
These flowers have their own special symbolism. In the devo and through the painting session we talk about what we can learn from these lovely flowers and apply to our lives as we walk with Jesus.
Finishing Up the Final Sessions with Flowers
Session six (picture at the top of the article) might be one of my favorites. We talk about the verses I struggle with a bit, verses 11 through 13. How does angelic protection work? What does it mean that we won't be harmed by predators, but will be the triumphant ones? Is that for this life or the next? I share thoughts and what I've learned and we paint beautiful snapdragons in a garden setting.
This painting was one of my favorites to create. Due to some technical difficulties (including one session where I forgot to hit the record button), this painting was done and redone more than normal. The repetition of it proved to be helpful in doing some more thinking and releasing more of my own anxieties.
Finally we reach session 7, which I call a "Plethora of Promises." Psalm 91 ends with a flourish, an amazing sweep of blessings that come from the voice of God, proclaiming what He does for those who know him, love him, and call out to him when we need help.
This kind of generous, extravagant promise needed flowers that screamed something extra. The search for the flowers turned into a bit of a memorable story.
I went hunting towards the middle of June and found some peonies and snapdragons, the last peonies of the season. I bought them and a few other things, overestimating my ability to carry everything back to the apartment.
With the flowers wrapped in brown paper in one arm and a cup of coffee in the other, I got on the F train to go home. It was a BIG bouquet and of course, the train was absolutely packed, standing room only. It was literally like a sardine can, not the most comfortable! The day was hot and humid, and the flowers were fragrant, not overwhelmingly so, but enough to be a concern on a crowded day in a hot train in the city. Oh, I hope no one is allergic to flowers near me!
I held the bouquet close to me without smooshing them and tried to stand as small and compact as possible. After standing for a few minutes and lurching to the side as the train took a curve a tad quickly, I heard a "sit down" in a rather commanding voice.
A man got up and gave me his seat. He had a bit of military tone to his voice, firm but kind. I accepted his offer without hesitation! I don't mind standing, but my balance was off, and I was very grateful for his generosity.
A small, even inconsequential story? Perhaps. But I'm finding found God shows up as my refuge, guide, protector in so many ways, the big ones and the small ones. In the kindness of others. The beauty of flowers. Providential guidance as we navigate cities and jobs and relationships. All gifts from our generous Abba Father.
I'd love to journey through Psalm 91 with you.
Our goal is to stay close to Jesus, to experience union with Jesus every day as we grow our "roots" deeper into him. Where our roots go makes a difference in becoming resilient and steady each day, especially on days when storms come.
And if you want to paint and pray through a psalm yourself (it really is wonderful), and would like some tips,
here is an article with a few ideas and guidelines I use.
