'Let the Earth be Glad'

Psalm 96:11-13
"Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all of the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness."
This was the first drawing I ever entered in a chalk festival! It may seem like a bit of a hodge-podge, but it serves as a reminder of how far I've come.
Anyone who looks at this piece may be wondering what the deal is with a purple turtle, a wave made from a fabric of sky, hibiscus flowers, and a tree fading into (what was supposed to be!) wheat. It was largely inspired by Psalm 96:11-12. All creation was made by God; all creation praises God. Yet, all creation also groans under the weight of mankind's sin, as Romans 8:22 tells us. It waits for mankind to be rescued from evil and for righteousness to be restored. This is what's so beautiful about Psalm 96. It states that the Lord is great and worthy to be praised because he is holy and he will judge what is wrong in our world. Someday, all creation will be made new - this includes mankind. The question is: can any man stand before a holy God and be deemed good enough to enter that new creation when it does come? The simple answer is no. This is why John 1:3 is added in the corner of the work. God, the Word, through whom all creation was made in the first place, rather than condemning the world and starting over, decided to take on human flesh and redeem it, instead. Through belief in that Word, Jesus, we are made clean and will be able to praise God for eternity alongside that new creation.