Comfort, acrylic painting on canvas, 15x11

This is one of my newest pieces. It holds alot of meaning for me because it represents God’s comfort. I tried to make the colors soft and soothing. It seems like angels wings. When I think of heaven or heaven colliding with the Earth I always envision multiple colors like that of a rainbow. This represents God and heaven colliding with my reality here on the Earth to give me a supernatural sense of comfort and peace, depite my circumtances.

“He shall comfort the comfortless.” 

This is what I kept hearing in the Spirit as I created this piece, reflecting on my own discomfort and hurt that only God could comfort. I am going through a season in my life which is difficult, long and drawn out…feels like it will never end, but I know it will. God gave me specific instructions saying that if I can do this special thing then my period of affliction will be over within a year. In the meantime, there is a lack of fleshy comfort, a real deep lack. In times like this it is necesary for me to press into God for his comfort. It is available. It is enough.

God gave me comfort today by bringing this verse to mind.

1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 This brings you great joy, although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. 7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing away – and will bring praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who predicted the grace that would come to you searched and investigated carefully. 11 They probed into what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christ and his subsequent glory. 12 They were shown that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things angels long to catch a glimpse of. (1st Peter 1:3-5)

It’s kind of interesting because the verse was from myself in the past when I was 19 years old, just after my Dad died in October 1988. After the funeral and on my way back to Basic Training in the Army, I was making a tape recording for my family to tell them how much I loved them and to encourage them and this was one of the verses that I read. My grandparents kept the tape for  along while and my grandfather added to it. My Grandfather passed in 2000 and my grandmother just recently this past year. So my brother ended up acquiring the tape and apparently got around to listening to it today. He called me up to share it with me. Interesting. We actually talked twice on the phone as he played the tape for me, but he didn’t discover this part ’till a little later.  He called back for a third time just to share it with me. Apparently, God promted him to do so.

It is so appropriate for what I am going through. As I review the verse, now, its as if it has fresh, new colors I had noticed before.

New Birth, Living Hope, Great Joy, only suffer for a little while, proving my faith and character, more valuable than gold…

It reminds me of something I read in Job today about wisdom, wisdom also being more valuable than gold and rubies…My trials produce wisdom.

Imperishable inheritance …

This is what I remind myself of. I have an inheritance in Heaven which can’t be taken from me. It can never be stolen. I believe not only do I have an inheritance in heaven, but I have one here on the Earth as well. It’s just waiting for me to grasp, to comprehend. His death on the cross and his resurrection accomplished so much for me…if only I could comprehend its full depth…our ability to do so determines our freedom and our ability to walk in victory.

This piece is meant to comfort and encourage the viewer. There’s a realm in the Spirit world with God that you can go to beyond your circumstances, a place where peace resides regardless of what is happening in your life. In life there are seasons and some seasons can be quite uncomfortable, but God promises that there will also be seasons of gladness and rejoicing. During the difficult season, hold on to this promise. Hold on to the fact that God loves you and has a divine destiny for you. Hold on to the fact that his comfort and his love is enough to sustain you. Hold on to the fact that in the end it will all be worth it and all the difficult times will be like dung compared to his surpasing greatness. Hold on and stand on his word! Let the Great Comforter comfort you now. His love is enough. His love is better than anything in this world. His love and comfort will carry you through.

“I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” John 14:18

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” Phillippians 3:8

I made this piece, too, right afterwards…at the time not fully comprehending why, just stirred by the Spirit. But now I see why, especially after reading 1st Peter 1:3-5, which didn’t come ’till after the picture was made. God wants us to undertand that although we may go through seasons of suffering we don’t have to be victims to our circumtances. He did it all for us on the cross. We can be sure that if we trust Him and stand on His word, he’ll carry us through to the finish line and we’ll have his promises. We will achieve the destiny he prepared for us. Just hold on and stand strong!

Victory, acrylic on canvas, 12x9