"Living Water" - An Invitation

"Living Water" - by Carol Ann Welch, oil on canvas 30"x40", Copyright 2009

"If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked of Him, and He would have given you living water... whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
- John 4:10, 14

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne... and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald... And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices... And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal... and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. - excerpts from Revelation 4

I finished this painting in the summer of 2009. The inspiration for it came from "Revelation Song" - which I believe is one of the most powerful worship songs ever written. Every time I hear that song, my heart is stirred and I ache for Heaven. If you listen to the song, I believe you will see many of its elements in this painting, most of which are found in Revelation 4.

For me, this painting is a vision of Jesus, the King of Kings, standing in authority and extending His scepter to the viewer as a sign of favor (Esther 8:4). Jesus is clothed in white and draped with a red cloth that symbolizes the blood that He shed for us. The blood red cloth transforms into living water that spreads out before Him into a sea that drowns our sins. Since Jesus' seat in Heaven is at our Father's right hand, there is lightning on Jesus' left side to indicate the power that resides there. Notice that the scepter is extended from His left hand, where the power dwells. Jesus extends favor on behalf of our Father. Jesus' right hand is held out in an invitation toward the rainbow that is God's own symbol of covenant.

Today, from Heaven's throne room, Jesus extends favor and mercy and invites us to join Him in covenant. What is covenant? It is a bond between two people or groups of people that brings them together for mutual benefit. Where one is weak, the other is strong. When one falls, the other picks him up. It is our Father's desire to be in covenant with us. He is not angry with us. He is not trying to push us away. He invites and beckons us to draw close to Him. Why? Not so He can punish us or fix us and dress us up as some plaything; but because He loves us. He delights in our companionship. His greatest desire is to love us and be loved by us. He is wise beyond our comprehension and He wants to impart that wisdom to us, to help us, to comfort us, to guide us, to heal us. What do we possibly have to offer God in this covenant arrangement? Our love and our faith. He is not some dictator on a power trip, demanding "Obey me or else!" Far from it! He is good and He offers us mercy and grace. Like a loving parent with a child who has fallen down, God wants to lift us up and mend our hurts. All we have to do is cry out to Him.

Why Jesus? Some say that there are many ways to God. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and life. No one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Why is that? Jesus is the only one who fulfilled God's plan of salvation, that is written in the Old Testament. He is the only one who fulfilled all the law and all the prophecies. Jesus is the only one who died and shed His blood to pay for our sins. Jesus is the only one that rose from the dead. No other man, prophet, or teacher has done all of those things. I know without a doubt that I can never be good enough to enter Heaven on my own merit. On my very best day, I still fail. I cannot possibly do enough good deeds. I cannot act good enough. I can't be good enough. That's OK. I don't have to be. Jesus has already paid the price for me. It's like not having enough money to get into see the movie, so someone buys a ticket for you. You have a choice - you can accept the ticket, go into the theater and enjoy the movie; or you can question the person's motives, turn up your nose against charity, or find some other reason to refuse. Whatever your reason for refusing, the outcome is the same. You miss out on the movie.

God does not choose some to go to Heaven and lock the others out. He invites all. It is His will and desire for all people to be with Him throughout eternity. But, He honors our free will enough to let us choose. We can choose Him or we can reject Him. It's up to us. You see, accepting Jesus and the sacrifice that He made for us is not choosing a religion... it is choosing a relationship with a loving Father who has been waiting and longing for you. If you've already made that choice, then please take a minute to tell your Father that you love Him and thank Jesus for His gift of a redeemed relationship. If you haven't made that choice yet, then reach out to Him. Ask God to help you understand. When you're ready to make the choice, it's very simple - just say the following prayer:

Father, I come to You now and receive Your love. I receive the sacrifice that Jesus made for me and I ask You to forgive my sins. I want to be in covenant with You. I want to have a relationship with You. I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I believe that I am forgiven and accepted into Your Kingdom. Please guide me, Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

If you've said that prayer for the first time, then welcome to the Family!! Please leave me a comment and let me know. I will be praying for you.