QUIETED BY HIS LOVE

Happy Summer Illustrated Faith Tribe!

I am humbled and in awe of all God has done within the pages of Bible Journaling, in my life and in our community.  He has truly quieted my heart with His love and truth.  He has taught me to be still.  He has taught me that He designed me to worship Him creatively and to draw others into the journey.

When I decided to journal this passage, I found that my fat little ESV Journaling Bible, christened in October of 2015, already had an entry.

That means good stuff abounds and I have a very special post planned with my top 20 pages soon!  But for now, I needed to move this entry to my big daddy Interleaved Journaling Bible (here is a link to a great review of this new version by our very own Heather Greenwood ).  

I love seeing our community begin to dive into this new version but I have to admit, it has intimated me.  I kind of like journaling around the beautiful words of scripture.  I like that my worship is intimately intertwined with His Word.

But new adventures are a good thing, so here I go!

When I first became a Christian almost 20 years ago, God put a very special sister in Christ in my life and forever in my heart.  She wrote Zephaniah 3:17 on a card for me one day and told me God gave her the scripture for me.  It was the first scripture spoken over my heart by another Christian and it means so much to me.  Throughout my journey, God has brought it back to me as gentle, loving waves of reminder that in His love, my soul can find rest and quiet.  He is mighty and He rejoices over me.   Here is the verse as it is written in the ESV:

The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you by His love;
He will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3:17

Pretty powerful stuff and I need to tell you it’s a promise for you too.

Let’s journal truth —

I started with a picture God put in my mind.  I have illustrated this verse before as a daisy but this time He gave me the picture of His gentle breath blowing the seeds of a flower into the places needed.  All the petals of the flower had dropped symbolizing the flower finishing a season and leaving bits of it’s beauty on the ground.

I drew the flower and wrote the words with my Illustrated Faith .65 pen.

I lightly water colored the leaves and bottom portion of the flower.  Because I wanted this to be an entry that was gentle and soft.  I pulled out an art supply out of my stash that I have never used in Bible Journaling before.  PanPastels.  I applied the blue with a special sponge applicator designed for use with these soft pastels.  I also went over my lettering because it was a bit shaky.  Honestly, I wish I had left it alone but it’s all good because He is GOOD.

Next I pulled out my Illustrated Faith Bella Blvd supplies to add some layer and interest.

I layered my tab first.

It is so hard for me to leave things soft and simple.  I am working on it!  Anyway, I added more punch with pink hearts, Illustrated Faith washi, and a sticker to remind me I have to be in a posture of stillness and listening to really receive His love.  I also attached the Love Grows Here card to the opposite page with an enamel heart.

May the Lord’s love quiet you wherever you are in your journey .  He is rejoicing over you.  

And, if the Lord is bringing you from one season to a new season where your petals of fruit and beauty have dropped in preparation for a new bloom and your seeds are blowing across the land, let your heart be quieted by His love.

Hugs,

amy

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