But God Drew the Picture

by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan

There was a prayer I carried quietly for a long time.

As a children’s author, I often dreamed of illustrating my own books. I admired artists who could bring their characters to life with a paintbrush and wondered if I would ever have that ability. I prayed about it more than once, asking the Lord if He would allow me to become both the writer and the illustrator of the stories He had placed on my heart.

Then…nothing happened.

For nearly a year, I waited. I would occasionally pick up a pencil, only to become discouraged by what I saw on the page. The desire never left, but neither did my inability. Eventually, I stopped trying so hard and simply trusted that if the Lord wanted me to illustrate one day, He would make a way.

Several months ago, something unexpected happened.

Liam came home from school with drawing assignments and wanted me to sit beside him. There was no pressure. No publishing deadline. No expectations. We simply sketched together like a mother and her little boy enjoying an afternoon.

That simple moment became the beginning of something I never saw coming.

One watercolor tutorial led to another. Practice pages filled my sketchbook with mushrooms, butterflies, flowers, birds, robots, seashells, and bees. Some paintings were encouraging. Others were hilariously terrible. We laughed at birds that looked nothing like birds and celebrated every tiny improvement. Somewhere in the middle of all those imperfect brushstrokes, something beautiful happened.

The Lord answered my prayer.

Not all at once.

One painting at a time.

What amazes me most is that He changed my process before He changed my ability.

For years, every children’s book began the same way. I wrote a manuscript, edited it, and then waited for an illustrator to transform my words into pictures.

This time was different.

The illustrations came first.

The little bee smiled before I knew his name was Joy. Felicity appeared among flowers before I knew what adventures she would have. The Robot Factory characters began talking to one another before I ever outlined their story. Instead of illustrating a finished manuscript, I found myself discovering the manuscript through the illustrations.

Only God could have written that process.

Looking back, I realize the Lord wasn’t simply teaching me to paint. He was teaching me to create with Him. He replaced striving with curiosity, pressure with play, and perfection with practice. Somewhere between Liam’s school drawings and a watercolor sketchbook, I stopped worrying about becoming an illustrator and simply enjoyed spending time creating.

This week, I finished the first cover that was entirely my own.

The idea.

The story.

The writing.

The watercolor illustrations.

The layout.

Every part came from the gifts God has been quietly developing over the past several months.

As I saved the finished cover, rain began falling outside my tiny house office.

I smiled.

The working title of the book is Before the Rain Came.

Only the Lord could write timing like that.

James reminds us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17, ESV). Looking back, I can see that this new creative journey has never been about becoming a better artist. It has always been about discovering another good gift from the Father.

Sometimes we pray for the destination while God delights in teaching us to enjoy the journey.

I’m grateful He didn’t simply give me the ability I asked for. He gave me something even sweeter.

He let me discover it with my son sitting beside me.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for hearing the prayers I whispered long before I could see the answer. Thank You for reminding me that Your timing is always perfect and that Your gifts often arrive in ways I never expected. Thank You for teaching me that growth is found in faithfulness, one small step at a time, and that joy is often discovered in the ordinary moments we are tempted to overlook.

Lord, thank You for allowing me to create alongside my son and for using simple afternoons, watercolor practice, and childlike wonder to awaken a gift You had already placed within me. Every brushstroke, every story, and every opportunity to create belongs to You. May every page I write and every illustration I paint point children—and their families—to the beauty, creativity, goodness, and faithfulness of their Creator.

Continue to teach me to create with You instead of merely for You. May I never strive for recognition more than I long for Your presence. Let every gift You entrust to me become an offering of worship, bringing glory to the One from whom every good and perfect gift comes.

In the precious name of Yeshua HaMashiach, Amen.

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