"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people". Ephesians 6:18

I chose to depict the theme of "In the Hours".. ref (Ephesians 6:18) by painting the portrait of a young woman sitting alone in prayer. The idea resonated with me to create this piece, because of my personal observations of our current society. It can be said, that as we advance in a myriad of ways, either through technology, economic commitments and or family demands, our attention and focus on the things of God have become less important. So much so, that the noise of the world is continually drowning out our communication with our Father in heaven. We no longer spend time reflecting on his word and spending time in his presence conversing with him. Thus, diminishing the gap between our comprehension and our trust in God’s judgement. We have begun to loose our ability to see and understand his authority, leaving us open to further attacks from the enemy resulting in our death. These observations are illustrated when I used organic shapes to convey the message of this human condition. The subject sits silently adorned in warm and cool tones. I used these hues, to draw the viewer into the painting and to also emphasize intimacy and warmth. Similarly, to the way our heavenly father bestows his love upon us when we nurture our relationship with him. I used various tones of green to demonstrate that when we connect with God he becomes our living water our peace replenishing us daily. To further illustrate piety and the divine connection created in prayer, I illuminated the subject with a gold outline and digitally added a subtle yellow glow between her hands. The black background creates a sense of infiniteness, mystery, a time of day and a sense of solitude.

In Ephesians 6:20, the apostle Paul clearly states that as Christians we need to adorn ourselves with the full amour of God. Yet, he posits, that similarly to being victorious during earthly battles, we must also prepare mentally to win in the onslaught of spiritual assaults (6:18). This preparation only occurs when we spend time in deep reflective prayer. Firstly, the act of prayer bridges the gap between our natural and spiritual worlds. It becomes the bridge through which we engage in spiritual warfare. Secondly, through prayer we we are able to acknowledge our need and dependence on God as we rely on his guidance in our daily lives. We strengthen our relationship with him thereby, growing in faith. Lastly, prayer along with the amour of God activates our abilities to defeat our spiritual enemies. It becomes the communicative arsenal that is often the difference between victories and defeats.

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Digital copy is available for purchase. Contact via: kattrina14.kl@gmail.com