Meandering - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Romans 1:20

There is an old story of a king who called for artists to submit their best picture of peace. Many artists rendered their portraits of peace, and the king finally chose two of the best. The first picture was of a quiet lake among majestic mountains. It’s glassy surface reflected an azure sky with but a few soft clouds gently floating along. All who saw this beautiful painting thought that it was, without question, the best expression of peace. The second picture looked completely different. It also was of a lake, but it was full of tumultuous waves. The mountains surrounding it were dark and foreboding. Rain and flashes of lighting revealed, just below the lake, a raging waterfall. What could be peaceful about this painting? But when the king looked closer, he saw alongside the waterfall a small branch growing out of a crevice in the rock. Among the sparse foliage of the branch was a nest. Therein, with the cascading crash of water all around, a mother bird calmly nestled her young. Discarding the placid picture of a lake, the king chose the second painting. “Because,” he explained, “peace does not mean the absence of noise, trouble, or difficult responsibilities. Peace is to be in the midst of all those things and still have a sense of calm in your heart. That is the essence of peace.”

This one picture, for the king, spoke volumes about the essence of peace. Frederick R. Barnard, who published an article commending the effectiveness of graphics in advertising, is credited with helping to popularize the ancient proverb, "One look (or a picture) is worth a thousand words.” In spite of the disfigurement of our sin upon the world, the glory and creative brilliance of God is ever advertised and on display. The incredible, visual art of his creation daily speaks forth innumerable words. King David stated as much when he wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1-4

It is with this in mind, that I invite our church family to participate in a fun photo search. It’s based on biblical expressions of the Holy Spirit’s activities. The goal is that each photo/picture taken, in keeping with the theme of the month, ‘pours out speech’ (a thousand words and more) to the glory of God.

It’s never been easier to take pictures. I hope that you will jump in and find this Meandering Photo Search an enjoyable activity. Overall, I pray that it helps us to be more aware of, and give thanks for, the Holy Spirit’s blessed work in our lives.

Thanks for meandering along with me,
Pastor Daniel