Fear Not
Testimony
"She never stopped to think whether he was a friendly lion or not. She rushed to him. She felt her heart would burst if she lost a moment. And the next thing she knew was that she was kissing him and putting her arms as far round his neck as she could and burying her face in the beautiful rich silkiness of his mane."
Lucy in Prince Caspian, by CS Lewis
Sometimes, when life is extra hard, I run to be with the Lord, and when I do, He is a Lion. I am not sure why this happens, but when it does, I love it. One of my favorite things to do when I am with Him, is to run my fingers through His fur. I feel completely safe when I am with Him, maybe because the Lion represents authority, strength and that gives me courage.
Recently I got a devotional book with quotes from the Narnia series. In the series, Aslan is a Lion and he represents Jesus. I came across this quote the other day from one of the books:
ASLAN, ASLAN. DEAR ASLAN,” sobbed Lucy. “At last.”
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face.
“Welcome, child,” he said.
“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”
“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” —CS Lewis, Prince Caspian
I thought it was just so beautiful, a "true sign of maturity" the devotional book called it. See, the closer we get to God...the bigger we realize He is...and the smaller we become. We must decrease and He must increase. We also realize that it is important to become like a child to enter the kingdom of God.
While I was painting, this song came "randomly" on my spotify radio. It was an artist I had never heard, but it was perfect timing, as I had just been thanking God for always being there for me. For being a safe place I could run to when I am afraid. These were just some of the words. You can hear the song at this link.
Recently I got a devotional book with quotes from the Narnia series. In the series, Aslan is a Lion and he represents Jesus. I came across this quote the other day from one of the books:
ASLAN, ASLAN. DEAR ASLAN,” sobbed Lucy. “At last.”
The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell, half sitting and half lying between his front paws. He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face.
“Welcome, child,” he said.
“Aslan,” said Lucy, “you’re bigger.”
“That is because you are older, little one,” answered he.
“Not because you are?”
“I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger.” —CS Lewis, Prince Caspian
I thought it was just so beautiful, a "true sign of maturity" the devotional book called it. See, the closer we get to God...the bigger we realize He is...and the smaller we become. We must decrease and He must increase. We also realize that it is important to become like a child to enter the kingdom of God.
While I was painting, this song came "randomly" on my spotify radio. It was an artist I had never heard, but it was perfect timing, as I had just been thanking God for always being there for me. For being a safe place I could run to when I am afraid. These were just some of the words. You can hear the song at this link.
CONQUERING LION
Conquering Lion, to break every chain.
He will wipe every tear away.
He will take all my hurt and pain.
He will lead me to, springs of living water 3x
He will Shepherd me.
I pray that when people look at this painting, they realize they can meet with Jesus as a Lion too. I pray they feel His gentle strength and authority. That they feel safe in His arms and fear not.
Here is another quote I love from the series, and maybe this is why I love to run my fingers through His mane.
"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."
Symbols of the painting
I used pink for the woman's dress to represent the passion that she has for Jesus. I wanted to use all the colors I could in the mane to represent a coat of many colors. How God is multifaceted like that. I used black for the background because when I run to Him, it is sometimes in a very dark time...but I can always find peace and rest in His arms. Tucked under His head, much like being tucked under His wings.
Conquering Lion, to break every chain.
He will wipe every tear away.
He will take all my hurt and pain.
He will lead me to, springs of living water 3x
He will Shepherd me.
I pray that when people look at this painting, they realize they can meet with Jesus as a Lion too. I pray they feel His gentle strength and authority. That they feel safe in His arms and fear not.
Here is another quote I love from the series, and maybe this is why I love to run my fingers through His mane.
"Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again."
Symbols of the painting
I used pink for the woman's dress to represent the passion that she has for Jesus. I wanted to use all the colors I could in the mane to represent a coat of many colors. How God is multifaceted like that. I used black for the background because when I run to Him, it is sometimes in a very dark time...but I can always find peace and rest in His arms. Tucked under His head, much like being tucked under His wings.
