New Life

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised." Psalm 113:3 (ESV)
I had started to work on this painting several years ago while my mother was still alive. After she went home to be with the Lord, I had a hard time getting into the painting, so I put it up for quite a while. At one point, the Lord laid on my heart that it was about time for me to finish it. After much prayer and committing it to the Lord, I picked up the paintbrush and let the Lord do the rest.
As I was working on this painting, I wanted to add some things that would be more personal to me. No matter how much I would admire the sunrises and sunsets of my life, I also was reminded of the sin in my life. How would I illustrate that in a painting with a sunset?
I love the intricate details that God has designed in trees. Even when I look at a tree that has died, I still see beauty in it. As I thought about that dead tree, it reminded me of my sin, not that my sin has beauty but that it produces death. When Christ came and died for our sins, He put the beauty back into that tree by adding new life.
As you look at the dead tree, down to the right of it is a new sprig of life bursting forth from its dead trunk. This reminds me that I was dead until Christ came into my life. When I accepted Christ as my Savior, He gave me new life in Him. Beauty was once again brought into my life, but it is only through Him that the beauty is even there.
As I was adding more to the painting, I felt I also needed to have water near the tree. It reminded me that so many people have the Living Water right at their fingertips just like that tree in the painting but refuse to reach for it. Just like all trees need water to survive, we need the Living Water of God's Word to help us not to just grow in Him but to know Him better. Eventually, a tree will die without water. When we have accepted Christ as our Savior, we can only grow in our walk with Him by being in His Word on a daily basis. It is the nutrients we need to sustain us as we grow. By being in His Word our new life will continue to grow and will then produce fruit.
As I look at each sunrise and sunset that He has created, I am always reminded and amazed at how He makes each color so vibrant with the stroke of His paintbrush.  How can we not praise His name when we admire the beauty of His "painted canvas"!  More importantly, how can we not praise His Name when He has given us "New Life" in Him?