Psalm 17—Artwork

Learn more about Christ in the Psalms weekly artwork and see previous pieces here.

Tamara Carey

About the Artist • About the Piece

The older I get, the more stunned I am by the completely undeserved gift of God calling me His child. That’s who I am… as my best friend’s bride, our three children’s mama and teacher, and friends’ and neighbors’ eager listener. I seek to behold His glory daily, so that He might transform me from one degree of glory to another. I am kept, as this Psalmist prays, by Him.

I tell my children, “There is only one perfect Artist… we simply get to copy what He has already made.” What a privilege it is to read His Word, observe His world, and then create! In Psalm 17, the writer’s plea is for God to listen to his cries, to protect him, and to act on his behalf to deliver him from his enemies. What stood out to me was verse 8, in the middle of His yearning for God’s protection: Keep me as the apple of Your eye… The Hebrew word for the phrase “as the apple” is pronounced ‘îšôn, which means pupil – the darkest, most vulnerable and protected part of the eye. I used oil pastels on the back of the transparent window to capture a rough sketch of the whole eye. The pupil, however, is the main part of this piece. It lies behind the glass – protected. I used a deep blue, for the pupil is like a window into waters of the soul that flow deep within. I hope this encourages us to pray, knowing that God knows and protects us more than we could ever fathom.