Soaking Presence
Painted in Izmir, Turkey, November 2013
In the testimonies that Caryn Beth and I encountered during our stay in Izmir, it became clear that both staff and interns at this particular beachhead House of Prayer have experienced significantly high stresses --spiritual, physical, and emotional strain--in walking out their Kingdom callings here in this part of the Middle East that has the least number of Jesus-followers of any country in the world.
In response, I felt led to paint for these courageous volunteers a scene from the life a Christ, when the scriptures record that He was sound asleep on a pillow in the back of a boat while the veteran seafarers cried out for fear that the storm they were going through was about to drown them all (Please see Matt. 8:24/Mark 4:38/Luke 8:23). This painting touches on the power of placing and keeping one's heart safely anchored in the presence of God; the design invites the viewer to symbolically lie down—within the embrace of Jesus in the space on the pillow beside His smiling, Father-centered face--in a place of divine camaraderie, peace and strengthening, even in the face of a potentially deadly storm.
The painting remains at the House of Prayer in Izmir. Please continue to pray Philippians 4:13--supernatural infusing of strength--into these valiant front-line brothers and sisters. And please position yourself to soak in the presence of God, that His care would frame in your existence, no matter what life's "weather" forecast may be.
Blessings in the Prince of Peace, Jeffrey
In response, I felt led to paint for these courageous volunteers a scene from the life a Christ, when the scriptures record that He was sound asleep on a pillow in the back of a boat while the veteran seafarers cried out for fear that the storm they were going through was about to drown them all (Please see Matt. 8:24/Mark 4:38/Luke 8:23). This painting touches on the power of placing and keeping one's heart safely anchored in the presence of God; the design invites the viewer to symbolically lie down—within the embrace of Jesus in the space on the pillow beside His smiling, Father-centered face--in a place of divine camaraderie, peace and strengthening, even in the face of a potentially deadly storm.
The painting remains at the House of Prayer in Izmir. Please continue to pray Philippians 4:13--supernatural infusing of strength--into these valiant front-line brothers and sisters. And please position yourself to soak in the presence of God, that His care would frame in your existence, no matter what life's "weather" forecast may be.
Blessings in the Prince of Peace, Jeffrey