The Art of Prayer, Part 9

   "Yet now he (God) has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it." Colossians 2:22-23

  The sweet smell of black currants is filling the kitchen. There were 16 cups of berries in the freezer, left over from the summer's abundant harvest. It was time to make some syrup because we used up the last bottle of nectar on the weekend. Basically, it is homemade Ribena. It is absolutely delicious in sparkling water or ginger ale. Apparently, black currants have more antioxidants than blueberries so not only is this a treat and a taste of summer goodness, it's good for the body!

  I just strained the fruit through a sieve, smashing it down with a soup ladle to extract as much of the juice as possible. It has to be re-boiled so it's piping hot before filling sterilized jars. I am just waiting for it to come to a boil again. 

  Some of the strained fruit is kept, too, to add to muffins. I experimented with creating fruit leather in the oven to use up the mashed berries last summer and it worked. However, it's unpleasant to eat with all the tiny seeds so it ended up tossed. But hey, if you don't try you don't know.

  And that's about as close to homesteading as I care to venture...home made preserves. (The sweet sound of lids popping verifies the jars have sealed perfectly. One down, four to go.)

  Now, to get down to business. What is next?

  I have no idea. 

  I've done my best to describe what happens when art is used as prayer. It's been a challenge to explain the subconscious "conversations" that happen when I approach the Lord this way. Maybe I need to recognize it's not all in my court nor is it all my responsibility to come up with something wonderful and earth shattering (Smile...earth shattering? Somebody's getting a bit big for her britches. LOL.)  

  Yesterday's art is a perfect example of the Lord taking the lead!

  Come to think about it, He's been leading all along. He's the one who opened this path. He's the one that didn't ask too much of me in the beginning. He's the one who taught me all I know and by doing so, gave me the gift of a language when words failed. He's the one who urged me to write. 

  This is where I belong.

  I am home.

  Oh, I had plenty of doubts. All I can say to that is if our thoughts don't build us up and encourage us, they are not of God. Maybe that's part of having faith, too. Simply trying will push doubt and fear aside...eventually...stick with it. 

  I've probably shared about my worship team experiences before. When I first started, the panic attacks were awful. This was something new. New things are extremely hard for me. I had a choice to make: quit and let the panic win or keep going despite the discomfort. It's taken several years to reach the point that I am home here, too, in this place of making a joyful noise. Even though I am sorely challenged by syncopated, funky rhythm timing...it's my nemesis...making music before the Lord is where I belong.

 I think of Peter stepping out of the boat in spite of the storm, in spite of the waves, in spite of the objections of the other disciples. (Mathew 14:22-33)

  Yes, Peter got out of the boat in obedience to Jesus calling him. But he quickly started to sink. That's important to remember. I wonder what demons wrestled with him in those few moments when the water starting rising around his body. I wonder if he felt inadequate to the calling. I wonder if he felt he didn't belong there, that the miracle of walking on water was way above his pay grade. 

  

  I think when Jesus said to Peter, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" it wasn't to chastise him. It was to get him thinking about the idea of having a big faith and the wonderous things that could happen because of it. Little faith had him walking on water! Can you imagine the possibilities?

  And maybe that's the key. Not the big faith, but having a little faith, that if you come to the table, if you enter into the Art of Prayer and offer your pen, your laptop, your time and your heart, Jesus' hand is waiting to lift you up.