In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Genesis 1:1-2 (NIV)
Hovering Spirit* (Watercolor on Paper)
Still, today, the Spirit hovers, the Spirit lingers near. The Spirit is closer than our hands or feet, closer than the very air that we breathe. The breath of God breathes into our lives re-creating us day-by-day, fashioning and molding us into God’s new creation, God’s vessel for light in a dark and hurting world.
God is a creative and creating God. God is about the work of making all things new.
Notice how the Spirit shows up amidst the darkness. There, in our darkest times, the Spirit hovers, the Spirit lingers with us. We are not alone. The Spirit, the very breath of God abides with us, always. The Spirit, the very breath of God penetrates the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. The Spirit, the very breath of God, sustains us without fail.
Let us pray: Come, Holy Spirit, come. May we experience your abiding and sustaining presence. Shine bright amidst our darkness. Hover and Linger. Abide and Tarry. Amen.
*About the Artwork: Part of the ministry of Grace Works Studio includes teaching people how to pray via painting, how to let watercolors act as a means of grace, a way to connect with the holy. As such, I usually do a technique demo just to familiarize people with the medium. Instead of wasting the demo, I make it a habit to transform the random markings and techniques into a cohesive painting. Hovering Spirit is birthed out of that process. It is grounded in a contemplative reflection of Genesis 1. The art of lectio divina acted as foil for the painting process.