“Snapseed” ~ A Prayer of Response

The following prayer by Leslie Bustard is written in response to this beautiful painting by Amy Grimes, “Snapseed.” 

O good-giving God, you generously offer us perfect gifts. They are like rivers of light cascading down from you, the Father of Lights. [1]

Praise you, Lord. No scarcity is found in you—you give us our daily bread. You offer us abundance, in ways we were looking for and in ways we didn’t expect. Forgive us for those times when we thought we knew how our needs should be met and we didn’t see how you were providing for us.

Help us, Lord, as we traverse into this New Year, facing a wintered barren landscape, to recollect how you lit our way in the past and removed shadows that brought fear or loneliness to our hearts. May the Holy Spirit and your words give us wisdom to keep on your way, so we see the light shine as a full day, warm and lovely.

Although we wrestle with winding, maze-like paths, this will not be forever. One day, when you return and restore all things, we’ll dance along paths not encumbered by valleys or rocky hills. The ground beneath our feet will feel firm and the grass lush. Our way through new creation will be eternally lit by your presence.

Lord, we pray this year will begin with your promises alive in our hearts. May the hope that you will bring forth the fullness of our salvation be our treasure. May we remember your faithfulness in bringing forth the fruit of our hands, trusting that these will be good gifts to those in our lives and be glorifying to you.

Praise you, from whom all blessings flow,

In Jesus name,

Amen.

[1] Hebrews 1:17, The Message: “So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.”

The featured image and painting, “Snapseed,” is courtesy of Amy Grimes and used with her kind permission for Cultivating. It has been modified to fit the featured image size restrictions inherent to this website.

Leslie Bustard

Leslie Anne Bustard takes great joy in loving people and places, whether at church, around her kitchen table, in a classroom, or traveling around. She delights in words, and marvels at the beauty found in the details of ordinary life. Reading, writing, teaching literature, baking, producing high school theater, and museum-ing are some of Leslie’s favorite things.  Leslie is the host of The Square Halo, a podcast for Square Halo Books  and is developing a book titled Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to the Best Children’s Books. She and her husband Ned have been married for 30 years and live in a century-old row house in Lancaster City, where they raised their three daughters.

www.squarehalobooks.com/