When all this craziness first started, I didn’t feel the emotional effects of it immediately, As the days turned to weeks the reality of it all started setting in. I started feeling so anxious. There was this pit in my stomach that I could not get to go away. I have known in my heart from the beginning that God has had this, but when we are bombarded with so much bad news and confusion it is easy to let fear creep in. God tell us, “Do not fear,” 365 times in His word. One for each day of the year.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
-Isaiah 41:10
Fear is why there is no toilet paper or bread at the grocery store. Fear is why I have a pit in my stomach. Fear is what is drilled into our heads as we watch the latest news report or read another news article. As I was painting a week or so ago, my anxiety and fear totally took over. The longer I painted the worse the paintings looked and the more anxious I felt. I saw my prayer journal sitting on table in my studio, and I just had this urge to write God’s word on all the paintings that weren’t working. So I did. And then I ripped them up and hung them all around my studio.
Fear is creeping in and even taking over so many us right now. No one really knows anything about this virus. We’ve heard a different story and different guide lines to follow everyday. We are so out of control. It’s a daily battle, but a battle I know God has already won. When we put into perspective how mighty and how good our God is, bask in His Glory, pray to Him and read His word, it can drive the fear right out of our hearts and give us so much hope for the future. Our God will never leave us or forsake us.
I decided to write a different verse on the back of each of these floral paintings. I hope that these paintings can be reminders to look to God’s word. This series is titled “Be Still” after this verse.
"He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."'
-Psalm 46:10
It is my prayer that we recognize how magnificent, how big, how glorious, how beautiful, how faithful, how victorious, how good our God is. I pray that we can find stillness and peace in our heart through Him.
Whatever His will is, it will be done. In His time and in a way that will bring Him the most glory.
God is always in control, and we have nothing to fear. He is always with us. He is always good! I pray we cling to His word!
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.”
-Nahum 1:7
I’m really excited to share these paintings with y’all, but I’m ever more excited to see how God will take what the enemy meant for evil and use it for His glory!!
- Shelby Leigh Kizer
Shelby Leigh Designs