The Traveler’s Scripture Prayer Card

March 14, 2020 ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

Traveler’s Illustrated Scripture Prayer Card

“The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
Psalms 121:8 KJV

In the illustration for this prayer card, the Lord inspired me to paint the central figure as a visual metaphor representing a female traveler.
She is a student learning lessons on the path of life, collecting them in (metaphorical) note books that she carries as her life lesson journals in her arms next to her heart where they are engraved even as she lives them.

We are all travelers, sojourners on this earth. The face on my traveler is purposely in shadow. Who is she? What will be the outcome of her journey?
That is the question in our own mind whenever we embark on some trip.
We must go by faith and we proceed on our way (usually) with joy and optimism.

We pray in hope over our babies when they begin their path of life.
We pray in sorrow as we watch loved ones depart on their journey into eternity.

Ever since I learned this Bible verse, Psalm 121:8 has been a foundational prayer that I offer to God daily.

We pray this beautiful prayer asking the Lord to guard our going out and our coming in from this time forth~ right now~ till forever ~ throughout our whole lives and for all eternity.

By praying this prayer we are acknowledging that our Creator is in control of all things that pertain to us and we are renewing our trust in His care as our Holy Protector, Good Shepherd, and Guardian.

The word the Psalmist used for *preserve is * shamar (transliteration) (BDB Thayer Bible Dictionary Definition)
To keep, guard, observe, give heed… protect, save life…watchman… to keep within bounds, restrain…

The verse before the affirmation that God shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from now till forever promises: “The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul.” Psalm 121:7

The word for evil is ra’ ra’ ah (transliteration)~from the BDB definition)
Bad, evil…disagreeable, malignant…giving pain, unhappiness, misery…displeasing, bad value…distress, adversity injury, wrong, ethical evil, from a word meaning…
Ra-ah (phonetic); to be bad, be evil > to break, shatter, to be broken, be broken asunder, broken in pieces. Origin: a primitive root.

Now we know that we all have bad days. And we all get sick. I have severe migraines every day…though I pray this wondrous prayer daily, and many more besides.

So what exactly kind of evil does the verse promise that God will preserve us from then?
The following verse defines the promise: “He shall preserve thy soul…”
What does the soul mean?
The word used means * neh-fesh (*Phonetic)
The soul, self, life, creature, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion, /that which breathes, the breathing substance or being, soul, the inner being of man/ the living being/ seat of the appetites/ seat of emotions and passions/ activity of the mind/activity of the will/activity of the character…

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray something very important that is related to Psalm 121 every day:

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Matthew 6:13 KJV

As we continue to give God the control over our lives He is going to guard and to preserve our will, and give us self control, and work in us the grace to do what is good and right and proper.

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13 KJV

It is truly only God’s grace that protects each one of us from doing the unthinkable. God’s Holy Spirit will restrain our sinful impulses as we invite our Lord Jesus Christ to be our Guardian God to keep us from harm and danger, and surround us with His holy favor, so that we can live peaceful, happy lives that honor and glorify Him.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

As we pray such prayers from God’s word we are praying His will~for God’s word IS His will.

As we pray and ask the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Lord of our lives, we are inviting our Creator to not only participate or share in our lives but to be our Guardian God, our Shepherd, and Guide, our Protector from all evil and temptations to do harm.

For all of us are sinners. God’s word says that “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Jesus Christ the Son of God suffered and died on the cross for the sins of all humanity to make people righteous by His spotless blood. He then rose again from the dead after three days and now lives forever to rule and reign over all the Universe.

He makes those who receive Him into their hearts a new creature reborn in their spirits in His image. He puts His Holy Spirit in our hearts and gives us the desire to love Him and other people and do the things that agree with His will.
How does He accomplish these miracles?

By the gift of His almighty grace.

Long ago the story is told that as a Christian watched a condemned man being led to the gallows he humbly bowed his head and said, “But for the grace of God there go I…”

Praying the Traveler’s Prayer from Psalm 121:8 won’t guarantee that a soul will not have adversity. But it will invite our Creator to take over the reins in our life and guard our SOUL from evil.

It gives our Creator great joy when we invite Him through prayer to protect us.
For He loves us and wants to share our lives with us in intimate fellowship.
God longs to be our Friend.
The Lord wants to guard our going out and our coming in from this time forth even to forever.

Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, please guard my going out and my coming in from this time forth even to forever, in Jesus holy name, amen.

Psalm 121
“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills,
From whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord,
Which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved:
He that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord is thy keeper:
The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day,
Nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
He shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out
And thy coming in from this time forth,
And even for evermore.”
~Psalms 121:1-8 KJV

*To see more photos of the Travelers Prayer Card and read more information it, follow the link below to Etsy Shop “Wings Publications Fine Art, Cards, & Music:

https://www.wingspublications.shop

What Time I Am Afraid

February 13, 2020 ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

What Time I Am Afraid

What time I am afraid
I will give Thee thanks
Though all around me fall
I’ll thank Thee for Thy grace
By the blood of Jesus
Through His cross by faith.

What time I am afraid
To Thee, oh Lord, I’ll run,
I will confess my sins
I’ll ask Thee search my heart.

What time I am afraid
I’ll put my Hope in Thee;
You’ll come to my defense
And will my fortress be.

What time I am afraid
I’ll give to Thee my fears
I will sing to Thee
Then to me You’ll draw near.

What time I am afraid,
Oh Lord, I’ll trust in Thee
And thank You, Jesus, for Thy love
And mercy You show me;
Though I am a sinner, Lord,
Thy gift of love is free.

What time I am afraid
I will trust Thee, Lord,
Though my sins be scarlet
You’ve clothed me with Thy robe
Of holy righteousness
Gifted from Thy own
While You these scarlet sins of mine
Upon Thy cross You bore.

What time I am afraid,
Lord, in Thee I will trust
You’ve cast my sins as far away
As east is from the west
And will remember them no more
Not for eternity;
What time I am afraid, oh Lord,
These things I will believe,
In Jesus’ holy name, amen.

Scriptures For Meditation

“For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
‭‭~2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:21‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.”
‭‭~Psalms‬ ‭56:3-4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. In God will I praise His word: in the Lord will I praise His word. In God have I put my trust…”
‭‭~ Psalms‬ ‭56:9-11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for this prayer poem and these scriptures You gave me to share today.

May You use them to comfort and encourage any and all who are fearful, may You wrap Thy holy arms around them and comfort them with the calm assurance of Thy measureless love for them.

Help them know that You love them as if they were the only child that You had to love.

Bless them with a thousand reminders of Thy love for them today and help them know without a doubt that You have washed all their sins away in the spotless blood of Thy Son Jesus Christ as far as the east is from the west.

Thank You, We love You, Lord, In Jesus name, Amen.

Prayer Poem, “What Time I Am Afraid” All Glory to God, Copyright © 2020 by Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved. Scripture Painting, Psalm 34:4, “He Delivered Me…” All Glory To God, Copyright © 2020, Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved. Scripture Text References are quoted from the King James Bible (Public Domain)

Christ’s Peace

February 4, 2020 ~ Suzanne Davis Harden

Continue reading “Christ’s Peace” →

The Lord Is My Shepherd

June 22, 2017June 22, 2017 ~ Suzanne Davis Harden ~ 2 Comments

The Lord Is My Shepherd

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:

He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: For Thou art with me…” ~Psalm 23:1-4

Several years ago I came down with a simple virus. I thought it would go away in a few days, for I had always been a very healthy person. But after a week my symptoms only grew more alarming and by the end of the month they became debilitating.

I went from a healthy active person who walked 6 miles a day, to a person who could no longer walk, use my hands, or even see to read, write or draw, for my eye muscles would go into spasms if I tried to read anything. I had to stay still in a dark room and be quiet.

This was unbearable to me for I had been so used to being active.

As a working visual artist who drew almost constantly, being unable to use my hands was like being imprisoned in my body.

I was terrified for I did not know if the illness was permanent, or even what the illness was.

Nor did my doctors. They ran numerous tests on me for every horrible disease they could think of.

I was filled with fear and anxiety.

“Lord, why is this happening? Did I grieve you somehow?”

I prayed constantly and confessed every sin I could think of –and then some, because I was certain I had done some terrible thing to make God mad at me for allowing me to become so ill and lose so many abilities. All I had ever wanted to do was glorify Him.

Now all I could do was sit in silence before Him and weep. My head hurt constantly from migraines.

I listened to audio bibles and sermons and this comforted me tremendously.

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:92 “Lord, unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction.”

During my time alone with the Lord, I grew very close to Him. There is nothing like suffering and affliction to draw you closer to God. He spoke to my heart. He promised to heal me. I clung to His promise.

God’s word promises that “all things work together for good to those who love God” in Romans 8:28. I treasured all of the promises in His word trusting that all would be well, for God had never failed me.

All my life I had known Him to be faithful, just as His word says in Psalm 36:5 “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.”

After many tests the doctors determined that I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia~ auto-immune illnesses caused by the Epstein Barre virus.

It took 4 months of physical therapy before I could use my hands again to draw, paint, and write. After about a year I was able to walk almost a mile.

The second painting I did after I regained the use of my hands was a watercolor inspired by Psalm 23, “The Lord is My Shepherd.”

The painting shows the Good Shepherd, Jesus, His face strong and steady in the

WMJESUS-MY-GOOD-SHEPHERD — The Lord Is My Shepherd Encouraging Card @ Wings Publications on Etsy

midst of a dark, blinding storm. His glowing clothes are billowing all about Him as He presses forward with nothing and no one able to stop Him or His purpose for the little one He has charge over. His frightened little child is crouching close behind Him to escape the blast of the stormy tempest.

The Lord is the child’s Shield, his Shelter, and Defender. The child clings to the Lord, as Christ leads Him through the Dark Valley of the Shadow; they are as one, they are so close together.

This image truly reflects my experience with my Lord Jesus ~ He was my Good Shepherd throughout my illness and never once failed me through my crisis of fear, worry, doubt, anxiety, weakness, and pain. He led me all the way through that horrible storm and encouraged me with His word, His love, and His presence.

The Gospel of John says that Jesus is the true light and “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” ~John 1:5

I experienced the truth of that scripture through my affliction. And the painting is my expression of its truth.

I had my painting printed and made into an Encouraging Card, which I sell in our Etsy Shop.

WM-GOOD-SHEPHERD-(1) — The Lord Is My Shepherd Encouraging Card at Wings Publications on Etsy

The card is like a mini version of my painting. On the front of this card is the verse, “The Lord is my Shepherd…I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” Psalm 23:1,4 (Updated King James Version Bible) On the back of the card, Psalm 23 is printed along with a vignette of the cover illustration.

This card has comforted many people through many trials. So I am thankful that the Lord allowed me to experience the terrible affliction that led me to be able to paint the picture. For I would never have been able to paint it had I not experienced the suffering, fear, comfort and faith all found in that image.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” ~2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ to be our Good Shepherd to guide us down the path of righteousness, truth, and grace that we might live with You in peace forever. We love You, In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.