'Soon, Not Yet'
I am entering this masterpiece of mine into the
2024 Laudamus Competition.
It is a prestigious award that shares the impact of special skilled Christian art as a means of praising God in the modern world.
I look forward to sharing it with the world and the heart of Jesus as He eagerly awaits to meet all of us here on earth and when we finally see Him face to face. He is ready.
Jesus coming back one day is a triumphant and glorious return! According to the Bible, Jesus will return to earth from heaven, descending with angels in a display of divine power and majesty. It is believed that during this event, Jesus will bring judgment, establish peace, and reign as the Savior and King. The Second Coming of Jesus is a significant event marking the fulfillment of God's plan for salvation. It is a belief that offers hope, assurance, and the promise of eternal life for believers.
As someone who truly and dearly loves horses and Jesus. I have often imagined what the second coming of the Lord looks like and with the many often scary changes in the world, some think that it could be really soon... but we do not know what “soon” means to an eternal God. There are prophesies in the bible that give us clues that the second coming is getting closer but we do not know when for sure. That is a whole other topic of discussion for another day. However, this is what inspired the title to this painting that is very close to my heart... My Dad went to be with Jesus a couple years ago and heaven is even more on my heart than it has ever been.
So while we wait, and as Jesus waits, I imagine Him frequenting visits to His gorgeous white horse... just as we would to all of our horses. His love of horses has always drawn me to Him through the endless lessons He has taught me when around our beloved equines.
I have seen many depictions of what Jesus might look like with His white horse but not many of them have actually moved my heart in a way that art should. This is what we all look forward to as Jesus followers and I just tell myself, how could this be? So I set out to create one dear to my heart as a horse owner and lover of Jesus as well. One that captures how Jesus feels about horses too... I think they are His favorite animal but that’s another story for another time(so much story telling in my future). Jesus is longing and excited for that ride He makes to vanquish evil for us once and for all. He kind of already has, He is just giving us the time and choice to choose.
I hope you see a piece of His heart here in a new way. As someone who loves horses and ultimately loves you even more than that.
Rachael P.
Music Credit: 'I Will Rise' by Chris Tomlin
This song was the last song I sang to my Dad as I held his hand when he went to be with Jesus and holds incredibly deep and special meaning to me... as all of Chris Tomlin's work does for millions of you, too. I hope you enjoy the heart behind choosing it for my painting video.
*I did shorten the song briefly to match the video.