Art & Soul post # 40 by guest author Julie Hammer
Have you experienced fear, discouragement, or isolation in the last few years? I think most of us have battled those feelings! But what does our God say about that?
“This is My command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
His words are not just a suggestion; they are a command! We must be strong and courageous, not giving in to fear or discouragement! And the only way we can do that is by knowing that God is with us – always, wherever we go! Even when we feel isolated, we know we are never alone because He is always with us! And, if we know that He is God – all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing – we can trust Him. Then we will find that we are strong and courageous!
As I have studied the scriptures recently, I have been encouraged by the life of David. He was rejected by King Saul, the Israelites, and the Philistines. And then after the Amalekites burned their cities and took their families, he was rejected by his own mighty men. After all of these trials and rejection, 1 Samuel 30:6 says “…But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” He then called his men back to the purpose and vision for their lives. God gave him the strength to master his distress, look past the offense of his men’s rejection and rally them together to get their families back.
So how do we strengthen ourselves in the Lord, as David did? We strengthen ourselves by cultivating a lifestyle of thankfulness, praise, prayer, remembering God’s promises, and connecting with people of faith. Whenever we face a trial or some kind of discouragement, we must turn to God, and strengthen ourselves in Him! God always prepares us beforehand with strength for our battles. Whenever He gives us a promise, He also equips us with wisdom and the tools we need to contend for His promise, through prayer, praise, worship, the Word of God and spiritual warfare weapons. So, when the battle comes, we must not give in to fear, but look into our arsenal of weapons with which the Lord has equipped us, knowing that we are ready and prepared for whatever we face.
My painting, Be Strong & Courageous, was created by hand painting the background, lettering & arrow. I used a combination of watercolor paints on paper and digital painting. For this piece of artwork, like most of my paintings, I spent some time working up a pleasing composition, and then I drew the basic outline before beginning the painting process. I love painting by hand, but I enjoy the convenience of manipulating my artwork using digital methods as I did here.
In creating this artwork, I tried to communicate the strength and beauty of Joshua 1:9. God has commanded us to be strong and courageous and to not fear. The only way we can be strong and courageous is to embrace the truth that the Lord our God is with us wherever we go! I wanted to incorporate the arrow, for two reasons. An arrow is a weapon, signifying that we are in a battle. An arrow also points forward, signifying that when we are strong and courageous, knowing God is with us, we will be able to move forward into all that God has for us!
So, my friends. Let’s commit to being strong and courageous! Let’s not give in to fear or discouragement! Let’s be intentionally aware that the LORD our God is with us wherever we go!
God bless you!
Julie
Julie Hammer
I am an artist specializing in watercolor and acrylic painting. I am a wife, mom, grandma, art teacher, and follower of Christ.
1 thought on “Be Strong and Courageous”
Julie,
Thank you so much for sharing your artwork and such an inspiring message! It is exactly what I needed to hear right now!❤️