Julie Chen Photography

{Art available HERE in larger sizes}

Psalm 33:20-22

We wait in hope for the Lord;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
 for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
even as we put our hope in you.

This verse has meant a lot to me and my husband over the years. The first time I remember it “coming to life” {ie: putting this verse into action in our personal real life} was when we walked through our first miscarriage. This Psalm along with Psalm 34 carried us through. We waited with hope in the Lord, not that the baby would come back to life, but that the Lord would bring healing to our hearts and pain. We understood His presence surrounding us like a shield of protection. We trusted in His holy name, not in the situation or circumstances {though we truly could not begin to understand it}. And, ultimately, we felt His beautiful unfailing love amidst such loss and sorrow.

Over the last couple weeks I once again cling to this verse. All around me is sorrow & suffering. We are broken people living in a broken world. My friend just lost her mom to a battle with cancer {of which she fought like a champ, btw!} A 10 year old child at my kids’ school suddenly died last week & our entire community is simply heartbroken.

In the midst of the pain all we can do sometimes is wait.

We wait for God’s comfort to fill us. We wait for redemption of this fallen world. We wait for strength and healing. We wait for Heaven. And it is only because we trust in His holy name and His loving character that we can even begin to have hope amidst our sorrow.

I chose the image of the couch in the field for 2 totally different reasons:

1. That beautiful red velvet couch is where I find rest & peace so often, so to pair it in nature was natural as I also find solace in the outdoors as I drink in the beauty of God’s creation. I am reminded to to hope, find peace, be still & wait.

2. That said, an empty couch in an empty field symbolizes just that: emptiness. So often when we are walking through suffering or a trial and we are so helpless, and a part of us feels empty. Empty of control. Empty of assurance, strength or confidence. Rather we are broken, awaiting His unfailing love to fill that emptiness in a way that only our Lord can do.

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