God Knows Your Weaknesses
“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:15-16 NLT
What an amazing comfort, that the very God of heaven not only knows your weaknesses, but understands them firsthand. He experienced the same brokenness and limitations of the flesh, the same challenges of living in a sin-cursed world. He sympathizes with your frailty, your tears, your deepest longings. There is no emotion, no mental anguish, no physical struggle you can face that He has not walked through – and emerged victorious on the other side. And now He stands in heaven, pleading and interceding and advocating for YOU.
Isn’t that just an amazing truth? Whatever you’re facing today, whatever struggles or season you are going through, remember this verse. Memorize it. Internalize it. Pray it back to God. This is your hope and assurance!
About My Creative Process
I was so excited to create a piece for this wonderful verse! We may come to it with tear-filled eyes and sorrow-filled hearts, but we should leave the verse changed, with a spirit of praise and thanksgiving. So my goal through the entire creative process was to convey that sense of hope-filled comfort. Everything — color choices, lettering styles, even the specific embellishments I used — was chosen to offer a sense of warm encouragement and joyful reassurance.
The idea of a scrapbook page kept coming to mind! Scrapbooks (or memory journals) often convey a “warm fuzzy feeling” as we recall good relationships and happy memories. I don’t create them anymore, but I did play around with scrapbooking for a while back in my earlier days of being creative (I just felt like a kindergartener making a mess with scissors and glue! 😂). So I decided to try a digital version of that!
One of the first principles of scrapbooking is to use lots of layers and dimension. That meant I need to build my page up with all sorts of elements, and with plenty of texture and depth to make it look like a real layout. Since I designed everything by hand, it took a lot of hours to create this one!
First, I made a hand lettered paper for the background with the text of Hebrews 4:15. I added some texture spots to make it look like an actual piece of paper, and not just a smooth digital background. Next, I designed and drew the gift tag and leather loop. I chose to letter a key phrase from the verse — “He knows our weaknesses” — in a style similar to some alphabet stickers I used to have. Then, it was time for some fun embellishments! I added a floral cutout, a handmade heart sticker, and some scattered gems in the same golden tones of the papers. Finally, I created a textured ribbon to tie it all together. I was so happy with how it all turned out!
Does it look like a scrapbook page to you? What’s your favorite element? I think mine is the gift tag, with its papery texture and leathery cord and stamped impressions. It was definitely my favorite part of the piece to create!
How would YOU portray the beautiful truth that God knows your weaknesses?
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PS. You can read my reflections on the verse here.