"Come to the River"

"Come to the River" Genesis 2, Psalm 46:4, Ezekiel 47, Revelation 22
TRIPTYCH (3 canvases) -12”x24, 30”x24, 12”x24”
acrylic on stretched canvas

At first I saw the Sea of Glass around the Throne of God. I had drawn it in worship early in 2010. As I began to paint it the transformation began... I painted the waters, blending color together, vibrant and majestic... I painted the girl (me, or you...) her hair flowing forth as the mighty wind from the current pushed it back (though I had not yet seen the powerful current)... and the rainbow, of sorts, that flowed out from her hair...



And the painting sat on my easel for months. I would look at it, study it, but could not paint another stroke... yet. Then one day I heard the Lord say, "Look at the water...This is the River that proceeds from My Throne. Do you see the powerful current...a rushing current." I knew it was the Ezekiel River, the River of God, from Ezekiel 47, the river that proceeds from the Holy temple of God. 

" 9 And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes.... 12 Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” Ezekiel 47:9, 12

And I saw that the waters were so powerful, the current running fast and strong... it was the river of God, full of mystery but a river you must dive into, knowing you will be consumed by it but you will not drown. For our God is all consuming...and He consumes us with His love.


The painting continued to sit on that easel... Then I began to paint the sky, which was filled with the mysteries of God Himself... I painted the storm filled skies, the torrent I imagined around the Throne... But it was not quite right. 
It sat for months more. Finally from the center I saw the brightness of His glory coming forth... and knew it was time to finish the painting. 


I had been asked to display it at a local Starbucks yet it was incomplete. As I asked the Lord to help me (because without Him I cannot paint) I was listening to the worship of Matt Gilman and his team on the 24/7 web streaming of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, MO. They began to sing "There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of our God". (Psalm 46:4) They were singing of the river I had been painting for a year! The I felt the anointing of His Spirit come, and as I worshipped the Lord the painting was finished. 

"There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

 The Holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High."          ~ Psalm 46:4

So, come to the river... come and tabernacle with your God... He calls and says 'whosoever may, come'... for this river is His river of His love and joy, His healing and salvation, His restoration, and more. 

Come and be made new; come behold your God;

Come!

And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree werefor the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.               ~Revelation22:1-5

"Come to the River" can also be viewed on The Artist Challenge website along with other amazing works of art: www.theartistchallenge.com