D’Evelyn Spekner

Redeemed

Watercolor, Watercolor Pencil, Gouache, Ink

18” x 24”

This watercolor reveals how God has redeemed His people throughout history. The Red Sea crossing, desert wanderings, Mount Sinai, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem are all connected to the cross of redemption through the arching olive branch of peace. The Living Water of Jesus Christ pours out of the split Rock of Ages and brings life to the desert. Groves of olive trees anoint the desert and bring hope to Jerusalem, the City of Peace. Bright bold complimentary colors are used throughout the painting to express joy, hope, excitement, and anticipation of the unshakable, everlasting Kingdom to come.

Peggy Wunderly

My Turn

Graphite Pencil

20” x 24”

Studying Nehemiah, the word ”preparation” kept coming to mind. The rebuilding of the temple and walls were both a physical restoration and a spiritual preparation for the coming Messiah, who would fulfill God’s promises to His people.

Those same walls would see the promised Messiah ride through their gates on a donkey. They would also witness His death and resurrection. But the story is not finished...there will be a white horse.

Jesus humble entry on the donkey (Zechariah 9:9) contrasts with Jesus’ majestic return on a white horse (Revelation 19:11-16). While the donkey has served its purpose, the horse now stands ready to serve the King.

The concept of preparation in Nehemiah gives us hope. Like the Israelites, we too are to be prepared, knowing His promises will be fulfilled, and He will return on a white horse in glory for His people.

Untitled

Acrylics

48” x 48”

In Nehemiah, the people rejoiced when they rebuilt the temple. Their rejoicing was over something God had done for them. The people on the pages of the Bible are all experiencing joy in their circumstances. My audio recording tells the stories of these people, if you would like to hear about them.

Unfortunately, there are people in the world who are still in bondage to sin and do not experience God’s light, as demonstrated in the background. My favorite part of the painting is the Holy Spirit, who is gentle, joyful, encouraging, gives us strength and moves through all believers.

Michelle Norman

Nehemiah’s Eyes

Watercolor on Strathmore, 400 Series

20” x 24”

This painting is an inspiration of how God appointed Nehemiah to take on the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of the Christ as both accepted God’s commands. Nehemiah rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, and Jesus delivered the covenant, the Good News and the opportunity for salvation.

Faith Sendaydiego

The Artist’s Touch

Gouache on Ampersand Aquabord

18” x 24”

This scene was inspired by the Japanese practice of “kintsugi” (repairing broken pottery with gold), which embraces the idea that brokenness can lead to more beauty as gold fills the cracks and creates glimmering fault lines. Marble statues stand tall in postures of praise with gold running through where they were once broken. The Artist who carefully carved their forms also repaired them, making them more beautiful and precious than they were before. As the ruins continue crumbling around them, they remain standing tall worshiping their Creator

Hayden Acosta

The Prayer of Wisdom - Nehemiah 1:4-11

Charcoal and pencil on paper

Today’s culture seems to want us to be able to always do everything on our own, yet we see time and time again in scripture that God wants us to call to Him and run to Him for guidance. Though God may not always answer with a resounding ‘Yes!’ every time, He wants us to pray, and that’s what Nehemiah did. Before any major decisions were made, he talked to God, consulting the Lord for council before he took any further actions. Weeping, fasting, praying, offering himself to God, and giving praise to the Most High. The type of prayer that happens when times get rocky; crying out to God in the most surrendering of positions; begging for wisdom.

Joselito Bareng

The Gracious Hand of God

Nehemiah 1:1-5

Colored Pencil

11” × 14”

Nehemiah’s story reminds us that through persistent prayer, God is able to perform miracles in and through us, but we must be willing to do what He wants, the way He wants it done.

What breaks your heart? The situations and problems in the world that break our hearts are often the very things that God wants us to take on. When God calls us to a task, it often starts with a broken heart. God knows every circumstance we have been through or will go through.

What we see as broken, God sees as beautiful. He knows where each piece belongs. And when we put our trust and hope in Jesus, piece by piece, he restores us back together into something more beautiful than we were before. Jesus is not only restoring the broken things in our lives but he is restoring the broken things in this world.

James Bareng

Rejoice! God Will Deliver

Colored Pencil, Pencil on Paper

11” x 14”

Throughout the course of Nehemiah, God has heard the prayers of Nehemiah and his people, acknowledged their obedience, and has delivered them in the face of opposition many times. Through prayer and obedience, the Lord becomes the foundation of our strength and will deliver us time and time again. As it is written in Nehemiah 8:10, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Just like the Israelites who overcame the obstacle of building the wall and who are freed to rejoice and celebrate for God’s glory, we too can overcome opposition, freely rejoicing in the strength God provides.

Victoria Orlando

Journeys

Photographs on canvas

16” x 20”

Nehemiah led the Jews in the journey of rebuilding Jerusalem, which was not without problems. Stairways represent journeys, showing the difficulties that we face in life. This stairway is in the Botanical Gardens in San Francisco.

Using different tones in developing the photos represents different stages of journeys. Rebuilding the temple and city was not straightforward and easy going. Along the way there were setbacks and challenges, represented in the brown-toned bits of photos. Always within sight and just out of reach was the glory of the finished project, reflected in the color photograph. As seen, though, even when the challenge is met, there can still be doubts. We are drawn to perfection, but cannot achieve (near) perfection without God’s guidance, help, and willingness to work beside us. This was true in Nehemiah’s day and is still truth today.

Heather Kenney

Yet Not I

Digital Art

18” x 24”

God Himself tasked the Israelites with reconstructing the wall and gates of Jerusalem and later reminded them of His commandment to celebrate the Feast of Booths. In His great and awesome plan, He miraculously took a group of ordinary people with ordinary tools, and carried out His work through them! Using these ordinary tools to do the work could have felt laborious for the Israelites through the long days and nights of construction. Did they ever lose sight of the purpose for their labor? Yet as they built, God was working. He would not only make their efforts succeed but would use them to bring Himself beyond what the Israelites could imagine.