I wrote this devotional sitting in Heidi's home watching her paint one of the illustrations for the book.

God saw you before you were born. Every day of your life was recorded in His book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:16 NLT

I sit in amazement watching Heidi paint. The love this woman has for this project oozes from everything surrounding her. I cannot help see the resemblance to our Heavenly Father as He approaches the canvas of our lives.

She is intentional in every aspect, no detail left unkempt - from the worship music playing in the background, to the praise coming from her lips. Before she even begins, she knows where she is headed. She has her supplies organized and arranged to give her the greatest efficiency of creativity. She has prepared for months through extensive research and earnest prayer, pouring herself deeply into each week of pregnancy.

When she finally arrives at the blank canvas, she is careful to plot out the design. She begins with a rough sketch and then adds a very vague wash of indistinct background colors. Layer after layer, stroke after stroke, prayer after prayer, slowly the image begins to take shape. Each layer is followed by a brief pause to allow the paint to dry. She is meticulous and determined, singing and worshiping throughout the process...creating something from nothing.

In these beginning stages, if I wasn't already familiar with the illustrations, I honestly wouldn't be able to tell what exactly was forming. I would also be very hasty at getting to the minute details that truly show off the intricacy of the subject matter. Heidi though, doesn't approach it this way. She is patient, and there is no doubt in watching her, there is supernatural design working through her hands. She has the vision before her and is trusting God to get her there.

What a picture of this week's verse...before we are even born, God knows our life. He painstakingly prepares our entrance. There is nothing "haphazard" about His craftsmanship and for it to be such a masterpiece, He knows the beginning to the end. There is no way if we (being human artists) can take such care, love and preparation into our comparatively simple creations, that the Father doesn't take that much MORE tenderness and design. This is how He can say every day of our life has been laid out...layer after layer...season after season...detail upon detail. Words fail me to describe the depth of beauty in this process.

Thank you, Lord for knowing us BEFORE we are born. From Your perspective, the canvas of our lives are not accidents. They are truly miracles in the making - masterpieces! In light of Heidi's example, help us to grasp the depth of love and design You stroke into every aspect of our lives.