Chalk pastel painting of Job.
Job is 1/6 paintings in the "Closer to God" Collection.
It was a six day journey with the intention of getting closer to God and understanding His word and will in our lives.

During these six days I fasted and meditated on one bible passage per day. At the end of the day, instead of only explaining what I learned in my journal, I drew a quick passed 35 minute drawing that illustrated what those bible passages where trying to teach us. It helped me enter deeper in His presence and understand God's will and desire for us.

There's no Spiritual battle more extraordinary than the one Job had to face. It's a story that often confuses many. And can turn away people from God if they don't understand what it is teaching us.

But Job's story is about the battle and calamities we as Christians will face. His story is about grace and faith in the face of adversity. In other words, Job embodied the armor described in Ephesians 6:10-20.

In the painting attached, you see Job Kneeling with colorful roots growing out from him. This artistic decision was made because, in his lowest point, Job cried out to God and compared himself to a tree. He explained that a tree has a chance of living even after calamity strikes, but man does not. He fails to see that God had already dressed him in his armor long before the calamities arrived. And that just like a tree, he will rise again. Job's story teaches us why wearing God's armor is essential.

Here is what Job teaches us about God's armor:

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

To anyone on the outside, what Job was facing seemed like a flesh and blood problem. He was gravely ill, his children died, his wife left him, and he lost all of his riches. But even though he was affected physically, he was spiritually intact. He regained everything he lost tenfold after surviving the terrible anguish the enemy threw at him. This is what God's Armor does for us.

"13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place...,"

Job was made firm in his beliefs. Even when everyone around him told him to "curse his God.", his wife even said, "Curse your God and die." before leaving him. But despite all the calamity he endured he was firm. Because he had the belt of truth buckled closely, he was firm in knowing that God was a righteous God and that He would never abandon Job.

"16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."

Although Job was momentarily weakened in chapter 14, there's no denying he had the shield of faith close to him. He took every arrow thrown at him in stride, and not even at the peak of his anguish did he turn his back on God or his faith.

"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

Job was made stronger because of the sword (the word of God). He never gave his faith up; this is proof of the importance of the combination of the sword (The Word) and the helmet (Salvation). Symbolically the helmet (Salvation) protected his mind from doubt, and the sword (the word) provided the substance.

Another thing to note is that we know the mind governs the heart. And that Job's heart was the one thing God forbade the devil from touching. Because In other words, God himself put the helmet on Job's head.

Job wears the armor in grace. It protects him in the deepest of calamities.

Are you wearing the armor of God the way Job shows us to wear it?

Written and painted by Desirée Martínez Pérez