1 Kings 19

Acrylic on wood panel 

10 in x 10 in

SOLD

I keep coming back to painting 1 Kings 19.

The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Look, the LORD is ready to pass by.” A very powerful wind went before the LORD, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.

This is an abstract expression of 1 Kings 19, in which the colors, and dimension represent different parts of the LORD appearing to Elijah when he goes up to the mountain. The blues represent the wind, the greens represent the earthquake, the red represents the fire. But the LORD was not in any of these elements that came to Elijah upon the mountain, but rather in a still, small voice, depicted by the single line of white going through the middle of the painting.

In the chaos of the Christmas season, in the shattering and rebuilding of our lives, and in the fire of our every day, may we take a moment to hear a still, small voice. May we remember why we are here.