Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my [b]neck. 2 I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. 3 I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Ink Sketch by Julie Sheppard aka Reiko Chinen
There are many times in our lives when we are drowning in our circumstances and it is so easy to lose hope, but He is always there to deliver us. Just reach out and call upon His name and He will save you.
When you look at a picture whether it is a photograph or a piece of art, what are your thoughts? Does it make you think about something or feel something? There are no right or wrong answers.
I relate more to Joseph than Daniel. Both were gifted with dreams and their interpretations, I don’t know what Daniel’s family was like before he and his friends were taken into captivity, but Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers. Yet even in captivity God was able to use these men, by giving them wisdom and the gift of dreams and interpretation. I am not going to talk about my childhood and my family right now, but how God has given me the gift of dreams and interpretation. I could not be able to do so without Him. It is one of the gifts that HE has blessed me with. I won’t say that I have always enjoyed this gift. There have been times when someone has prayed for me and has asked God to increase my dreams and in my mind I am screaming ‘No!’ I want sleep not dreams. I am getting off track, so the reason I am writing about dreams is because I feel that I am being led to do so. Old dreams are coming back to me vividly. Dreams that are mine and others that I was given the interpretation for. So I will be sharing them here.
Art by Reiko Chinen/Julie Sheppard
I can still remember a dream that I was asked to interpret for a friend who I went to church with even though it has been over 30years ago. They called me and said God had told them that I would interpret the dream for them.
This was their dream:
They were on a carousel horse and kept going around and around.
It was not a long dream, but they were confused and knew it meant something and so they prayed for God to give them it’s meaning. That is when they called me because they said God told them to. This was the first time that I can remember that I could see another person’s dream. Then God gave me the interpretation before they finished telling me the dream.
This is the interpretation:
They were going around in circles, and getting nowhere. Going through the ups and downs of life without making any progress. God wanted them to get off the horse and start moving forward. The ride on the carousel is fun but it will not get you to where you need to go.
Just as Joseph and Daniel were given interpretation of dreams by God, today God is calling men and women to dream and interpret those dreams, then share their meanings with others. Even if the interpretation is not a pleasant one. Like when Joseph interpreted the dreams of the cupbearer and the baker. The interpretation of the baker’s dream had a bad outcome for the baker.
I know dreams are personal and we may not feel comfortable sharing, but if the message is from God now may be the time to share. So I will be sharing dreams and their interpretations, and they will be both my personal dreams and one’s that God has given me the interpretation for. If you have a dream to share, I hope you will share it.
Art by Reiko Chinen/Julie Sheppard
Scriptures on dreams and visions:
Acts 2:17 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Daniel 1:17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Genesis 40 / The Cupbearer and the Baker 1 Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2 Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them. After they had been in custody for some time, 5 each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. 6 When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?” 8 “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” 9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” 12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” 16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.” 20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— 22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. 23 The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.
In my latest art piece I recycled paper tubes and newspaper. Not a very expert job in making a piece of recycled paper, but for my first attempt it was good enough to paint this picture. First I glued pressed dry leaves, then made a bird from a pistachio shell and acorn shell with dove feathers for a tail. I used coffee and green tea to paint with. Here is the end result.
Art by Reiko Chinen/Julie Sheppard
When I looked at the finished work, I thought about how in Christ we become new creations. God takes our broken and even filthy parts, cleanses them then makes a beautiful work of art. That is what we are now. Beautiful and new works of the Greatest artist of all time.
During the day if you look into the sky you can see the sun. Then night falls and you can no longer see the sun. Does that mean it no longer exists? Just because you cannot see it, you still know that it still exists. Now think about the moon. You can only see it at night, but there are phases of the moon. A full moon is only seen one night of its cycle, there rest of that cycle you only can see parts of the moon and then there is the moonless night. It is still out there in space reflecting the light of the sun. Then there are cloudy, rainy and even stormy days and nights when you cannot see either, but they are still there.
Photos by Reiko Chinen/Julie Sheppard
During the dark periods of our lives it is easy to lose faith. It is hard to see beyond the problems we face in our lives. The trials, tribulations, storms and giants that we face can eclipse our view of God in our lives. This is when we need to hold on to faith. Faith is believing when you cannot see.
Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2 For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible. (Read the entire chapter)
Just because I cannot see the end of the storm does not mean it will not end. Also if you are in the boat with Jesus, you will make it safely through. Moses lead the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry land while Pharaoh’s army was in pursuit of them. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to bow down and worship an idol. They were no in the furnace alone. No matter how dark or stormy, or how hot the fire is, HE is always with you. He will never leave and abandon you. HE is faithful and true and the ONE who you can always trust. So what ever you are going through, know that you are not alone. HE is right there with you. Just because we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel does not mean it is not there, we just haven’t gone far enough down the path yet. Just keep pressing through, and HE will see you through. Have faith, trust in Him, no matter how long it takes, and this is coming from someone who is still waiting to get to the other side of my own tribulations. Even though I cannot see the end of the storm, or the light at the end of this dark tunnel, I know HE is the ONE I can trust completely.
Art by Reiko Chine/Julie Sheppard – Light At The End Of The Tunnel
When I drew this picture I was actually going through an actual trial, but I chose to hold on to faith and believe that HE would get me through. A friend gave me a caption that I like, ‘There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Don’t worry, it is not a train. It is the Light of Jesus Christ.’
I do not know what trials or troubles you are going through right now, and just like I do not know when my own are going to end but if we hold on to faith in Jesus we are going to make it through.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.
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