Praying with a Painting: Watching in hope

I wonder if you resonate with this painting of my dad’s. I love the splashes of color that provide hope amidst a bleak and stark setting. We might feel overwhelmed with all that we face personally and globally – the invasion of Ukraine, the altercation at the Oscars, the latest variant of coronavirus. And the personal crises we may face.

All of these things can feel like a stripping down. A peeling back. We may feel empty and exposed.

And yet.

And yet.

The light dawns and for a few moments the sky fills with color. What had been a cheerless landscape now pulses with light and joy and hope – if only for a short time. We gasp with joy, seeking to take in the wonder and the glory, all the while giving thanks to God.

I invite you to take a few moments to pray with this beautiful painting. Let your eye move around it and fall on the area that draws you near. How might God speak to you through the art?

You might also wish to ponder some Scripture:

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    my God will hear me.
(Micah 7:7, NIV)

If you’d like the context, that’s interesting too:

Do not trust a neighbor;
    put no confidence in a friend.
Even with the woman who lies in your embrace
    guard the words of your lips.
For a son dishonors his father,
    a daughter rises up against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—
    a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord,
    I wait for God my Savior;
    my God will hear me.

Do not gloat over me, my enemy!
    Though I have fallen, I will rise.
Though I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be my light.
(Micah 7:5–8, NIV)