Bible Journaling - Genesis 12 & 13

We have reached Genesis 12 and 13 on our Bible Journaling journey. Today, we encounter Abram when he meets God and receives instructions to leave his place of comfort and to keep moving towards Canaan, for this is the land God has intended for him to stay in, and this is where God intends to bless him. In order to avoid a famine in Canaan, Abram settles in Egypt for a while. This is not where God told him to be, and Abram starts making some wrong decisions. In today's blog, we take a look at comfort zones, at moving and settling on God's instructions, and at staying in His will, all while enjoying the creative journaling process that our Bibles afford us.

Genesis 12 and 13 look like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I prepare the pages with Zellen Clear Gesso.

My pages are slightly wrinkled when I am done, but I won't let this put me off. It will straighten out in due time.

I start by colouring the text and illustrations in the left margin. I colour the background yellow with a Number One colouring pencil.

I will be using the Mont Marte Adult Colouring Duo Markers to colour the illustration with.

As the pencil I had used, was a waxy pencil, I found that my markers did not want to 'take' in the areas where I had gone over the lines of the smaller text. I had to use an unleaded pacer pencil to scrape away the waxy surface before I could use the markers in those small areas.

To depict Abram's journey, I choose to draw a set of suitcases stacked on top of each other. I draw it in pencil on top of the passage dealing with this. I love how this passage simply falls right into it, and tells us that God spoke to Abram and Abram simply responded in obedience. This seems to hint at a level of comfort that existed in the relationship between God and Abram. Perhaps this is why it was so (seemingly) simple for Abram to obey and leave his comfort zone. Perhaps his comfort zone was not a place, as much as it was a relationship, and more specifically, his relationship with God.

I erase most of the pencil lines before I redraw the picture in Micron pens. I use a Sepia colour to draw the picture.

As I keep on developing the picture with Faber-Castell Artist's Pitt Pens, I contemplate how the the three suitcases also represent the stages in Abram's journey. At the Oak of Mamre, he made camp and God appeared to him. This is where Abram receives the promise that the land of Canaan will belong to his descendants, and theirs after them, along with more blessings. He then builds an altar to the Lord. After this, Abram keeps moving and sets up camp again at somewhere between Bethel and Ai. Here he built yet another altar to God and worshipped Him. We then learn that Abram continued moving South in stages, toward the Negev desert.

Abram had the task of moving towards and settling in the land promised to him, but more importantly, to his descendants. He was a foreigner in the land he occupied. Yet he did not hesitate to claim the land for his God. He claimed the land by moving through it, and worshiping God wherever he settled. This is faith. He was among a nation who would have had their own Gods, their own altars and their own way of doing things. Still, he had clear instructions from God and he doggedly kept moving forward, claiming the land for the LORD and worshiping the LORD as he went. There is a lesson in this for those of us who have been called by the LORD to a specific place. Simply arriving is not good enough. We are called to establish places and/or conditions where the LORD can be worshiped.

It wasn't Abram's choice to leave Canaan, circumstances forced him to do so. I have also been in a 'promised land' once when circumstances forced me to leave. For a while there I felt completely uprooted, not knowing what to do next, or where to settle myself. I did not find peace again, until I finally decided to let go of the promise from yesterday and focus on the revelation of today. I still believe that 'promised land' is mine, but I also know that the land and situation I am in now, is where God wishes me to be right now. How do I know this, you might ask? By spending lots and lots of time in conversation with our Father. I walked and talked with God for days and months, until I walked myself right out of words and into silence. It was only when I grew silent that I could clearly hear God's whisperings above my own complaints. If you are in 'Egypt' right now, complaining to our Father about the fact that you can not enter your 'Promised Land,' then I wish to advise you to do your own walking and talking with God. But be sure to walk yourself right out of your rebellion and back into submission, if you wish the exercise to have any purpose, other than losing weight. I use the Pitt pens to develop a picture that I will tell you more about in the next passage.

While Abram was in Egypt, his faith seemed to have wavered. He was not where he knew God wanted him to be. The bold confidence he displayed in Canaan, had left him, and we find him a man in fear. He resorts to lies and manipulation to ensure his own safety. In the process, he endangers his wife, but more than this, he places his future blessings in jeopardy. Abram's descendants would be blessed through Sarai, but Abram withdraws his protection from her, as husband, and leaves her exposed to outsiders. A husband and a wife have a sacred duty to protect each other. There is no room for outsiders in a marriage. If you have exposed yourself, or your spouse, to outsiders, you need to seriously reconsider your actions and choices. When I look ahead at the story of Abram, I see the birth of Ishmael. This time Abram had exposed himself to an outsider. Abram did receive a blessing in the birth of Ishmael. Ishmael grew into nations and gave Abram huge number of descendants. However, this was not the original blessing God had in mind for Abram's life. What is more, this would also result in conflicts between the two 'blessings', or descendants, that lasts to this day. When I start to colour the picture of the beautiful middle eastern woman I am working on, I use a blue metallic marker. However, I want to tone the marker down a bit. I therefore only make blue marks in the areas that need to be coloured, before painting the ink with water.

The ink is easily dissolved with water, making it very simple to paint it.

While Abram was in Egypt, he grew very rich very quickly. He enjoyed the company and blessing of the highest official in the country. He had wealth, power, and fame. This appears to be a blessing. Appearances, however, can be deceiving. Too often, we take a shortcut to finding God's answers for our lives. Does things go well for us? Then it must mean that we are enjoying God's blessings. This 'prosperity' thinking is not true. Things did not go well for Paul when he was stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, imprisoned, flogged, etc. Yet, he was doing what God told him to do, where God told him to do it, when God told him to do so. If you wish to know God's answers - PRAY. Spend time with God, if you wish to know the answers that will guide your life. I keep developing the picture with the Pitt pens.

I add highlights with a white Lyra Polycolor pencil.

I then use Derwent Coloursoft pencils to colour the skin areas. I have to mention that I found this image in a Google search and have come across a number of different interpretations of it. I therefore do not know who to credit with the original idea, but certainly can not take credit for it myself. The image seems to be used for Esther by everyone else, but I rather fancied it for Sarai and therefore opted use it here.

I wish to add some bling to the image. As rhinestones will be too knobbly in the Bible, I prefer to use Heat Activated Foil. I will not use heat however. Instead, I will paste it in with Tombow glue.

I place tiny glue dots where I wish the bling to go. I then let the glue dry a little so it will become tacky and grip the foil.

I place the foil on top of the glue dots and press down. Then I pull the foil away.

I am left with tiny golden dots in all the right places.

When I get to chapter 13, I see that Abram continued traveling and that he now returned to Canaan. We visit some of his familiar places and then we see that his nephew, Lot, wishes to part company with him when conflict arises between them. Abram could have told Lot that the land had been given to him, Abram, by God, and that therefore Lot had to move out and go fend for himself. He did not do so. Instead, he invites Lot to select the choice land for himself and to settle there. Abram was once again back in his comfort zone, the place where he trusted God. This was not his dream to fulfill, nor was it his promise to keep. He was neither guardian nor steward of the blessing. This was for God to do. When I realized this, I had to stop and wonder how often I myself have taken things out of God's hands, thinking I was doing right, instead of simply trusting Him to do what He said He would do. At this stage, I am reminded of my prayer this morning. I was speaking to God about what it means to give your life to Him. It means He has ownership. It means He is the One who is in control. Or at least, He is the One who ought to be in control. Yet, we take that control back from Him all too often. And then I thought about how some of us never even bother to consult the owner's manual, the Bible, to find out what we are supposed to do with these lives that belong to Him. We seem to simply shut our eyes and plunge ahead, hoping for the best - and that God would do the rest. God should not be left with left-overs. Instead, He should be left to do as He pleases, and we should rest - unless, or until, He tells us otherwise. Then, resting in God's care and provision, instead of our own, we will also be in a position like Abram's, where we can be gracious enough to allow others to flourish as well. After taking leave of Lot, God repeats His promises and blessings to Abram. During this conversation, Abram is told to look at the land in all directions. I use a sticker to indicate this. Then Abram is told to keep moving through the land. I want to invite you to go talk to God right now. You can come back and journal at another time. Ask God whether or not you should be settling in or moving. Abram was told to keep moving, even though he already found himself in the promised land. He still had areas to claim for the Lord. Yet all he had to do, was move. Not fight, not barter, not buy or sell - just keep moving and worshiping God.

I found a pretty sticker sheet in my stash depicting old-fashioned travel. I decided to use some of these stickers in the space left open in the right margin of the page.

When I stuck the stickers down, I found that they would not stay in place and I had to use double-sided tape to fix them to the page.

I was now satisfied that my illustrations supported the text.

The completed layout.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/DJaXnObWols

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

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