ENan and I love thrift stores. We have donated a lot of clothes we no longer wear and items we no longer use to stores near our home. We also love to poke around in thrift stores in our free time. We have found some amazing deals on things we probably didn’t need but sure did enjoy buying. I’m not at all sure we haven’t paid for and brought home items we donated at some previous closet purge. Se la vie!
One of those items we didn’t really need but I couldn’t pass by was the piece of art you see pictured above titled “The Exodus.” You can immediately begin to discern the breath of God blowing back the Red Sea. With a little imagination, you can see the people passing through the parted waves as Moses raises his staff over the scene. If you zoom in on the picture or view it with a microscope, you will see that the picture is formed by tiny characters. Each character is a Hebrew letter. The artist created the picture using the text from the Book of Exodus that tells the story of the parting of the Red Sea! The artist, named Ellen Braun, spent 11 months creating this incredible work of art. You see why I had to bring it home.
The Bible is full of word pictures that capture images and transmit them to our spirits. Adam and Eve tasting the forbidden fruit. Noah and his family riding out the flood. Elijah calling down fire from heaven. Even without pictures, I see the power and grace of God written on every page.
Jesus told those who walked with him, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) Jesus being born in a stable. Jesus sitting on a hillside with children on his lap. Jesus calming a threatening sea with his words. Jesus hanging from a cross, praying for the ones who put him there. Jesus returning to gather his followers for a new heaven and a new earth. Each story of Jesus recorded in the Gospels helps me see the true nature of God. Every word fits into a picture of a God who loves each one of us more than we could ever imagine.
The Bible says, “God so loved the world…” (John 3:16) I am certain that if you look closely, you will see your name there.
-Dr. Jim Baldwin
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