Michelle Bentham Creates: Her Name Is Wildflower

Her Name is Wildflower | Mixed Media on 16x20 Canvas | Price: $200.00
(c) 2013 Michelle Bentham, All Rights Reserved.
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Wildflower is close to my heart.

You see this is who God says I am.

I love flowers.

Several years ago when we first transitioned to the large, non-denominational and charismatic church we've attended since 2007 I began to receive prophetic words about flowers and really vegetation in variety. But three significant occasions stand out to me.

The first happened to be at the conclusion of the very first Pink Impact conference I had ever attended. At the end of the last session I went forward to receive pray over paralyzing fears that consumed my life. The sweet woman who prayed for me said she saw a beautiful field of flowers when she looks at me. This would be the night I received my prayer language and a very specific instruction: "When you feel afraid, pray in your prayer language - the enemy cannot understand what you are praying, but God does. It doesn't give the enemy anything to use against you to pray for what you fear in your prayer language."

Two years later my husband and I went to receive leadership presbytery. This is a special time when presbyters (or leaders trained and operating in the gift of prophecy) pray for candidates and then speak words of edification, comfort and encouragement to members who serve in leadership in the church. Scott received what I considered to be a powerful word. I, on the other hand, received words like "You are a treasure, spiritual decorator, worshipper, dancer and a wildflower." Which, to me did not seem as exciting as the words my husband had received. I received the words with one question in my heart - What on earth does all that mean?

And when I came on staff at that same church the same year I received my presbytery, I received a word from a pastor. He shared that he did not usually receive pictures, but he did when he saw me. He said, "I saw a flower with roots that go deep. But, the Lord is going to prune you, He's going to cut you back, so you can grow. But, its not gonna' hurt."

Fast forward to last year when I was on the prayer team at Pink Impact, I found myself drawing our friend, Wildflower. During that same season I began to research the meaning of wildflowers in Scripture. In the Message paraphrase, the term "lilies of the field" translates to wildflowers.

Two Scriptures stood out to me. Song of Songs 1:14 "My beloved is a bouquet of wildflowers picked just for me." Along with Psalm 30:11 "You did it!. You changed my wild lament into whirling dancing. You ripped off my mourning bands and decked me in wildfowers."

The beautiful message of the wildflowers penetrated my heart and I received, finally, the truth about this message from God's heart to my own. He showed me that wildflowers are unique and precious. They grow in a variety of environments, soils and conditions. They can grow in hot arid climates or humid moist climates... They even grow out of rocks. HMMM! A Flower that grows out of a Rock. Love that. Wildflowers can be placed in a vase and set on the house to benefit a few or they can be displayed on a hill for all to see. A wildflower may also be hidden away for the pleasure of God alone. Some wildflowers may be eater as food and some are the forerunner for delicious fruit. Wildflowers are unique, beautiful, productive elements of creation and I AM A WILDFLOWER.

I pray the message of the Wildflower blesses you the way it blesses me.