Flip The Canvas


FLIP THE CANVAS

By:  Julie Souza Bradley Lilly

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” – Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sitting in church that evening, I was less than impressed with the guest artist who was bringing the message.  On stage was an easel and canvas.   He spoke about the transforming love of God, as he worked using broad strokes, with charcoal as his medium.  I’ll be honest, his “work” looked like a mess to me.  I couldn’t make heads or tails of his drawing.

It wasn’t until he finished and flipped the canvas 180 degrees, that we gasped with amazement.  What had looked like a series of mistakes was transformed into the face of Jesus.  We could not see the meaning or beauty of his work, until we could view it from the artist’s point of view.

Life can be that way.  We pray and pray, but the mess we are in appears to just get worse.  The truth is that while we may not hear or see Him, the Father has not abandoned us.  He is still at work, and Jesus intercedes for us at this very minute.

Beloved, what we see does not make sense, because He isn’t finished.  A great artist rarely reveals His masterpiece before He has applied the finishing touches.

Father, we bring our messy circumstances.  We ask for a gift of faith to believe without seeing (John 20:29), so we can walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).

One day our eyes will be opened.  In astonishment, every knee will bow at the magnificence of Your work in transforming the ashes of our brokenness into something of beauty (Isaiah 61:3). It will be worth it all.  We trust You with our futures.  Creator of the universe, we rest beneath the canopy of Your masterful hand, and believe that at the right time You will flip the canvas.  In Jesus’ Name ❤️

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