“Father God, please guide me as I write this article based on Your Word. Help me to write this to glorify You, and let Your words bring clarity to those who seek You. May Your truth help people discern and embrace correct beliefs. I pray and seek everything in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Hi there my Brothers and Sisters in Christ! In my recent blog posts, I’ve shared deeply personal experiences that have shaped my faith and understanding of Jesus. From the vivid dream where I saw Jesus to the profound realizations about His humanity, these encounters have left a lasting impact on my spiritual journey. Today, I want to share another significant experience—my struggle to capture Jesus in a sketch and the revelation that followed.
The Dream That Inspired
A few weeks ago, I had a dream that was both awe-inspiring and transformative. I saw Jesus in a way I had never seen Him before—His presence was overwhelmingly real and filled with a sense of profound love and compassion. This dream was not just a fleeting vision but a deep encounter that left me yearning to hold onto that image of Jesus. I felt compelled to capture His likeness on paper, hoping to keep the vision alive in my heart and mind.
The Struggle to Sketch
Despite my best efforts, sketching Jesus proved to be an incredibly challenging task. Over the course of several days, I made nearly twenty attempts, each time feeling more frustrated and disheartened. The image in my mind was clear when I closed my eyes, but translating that onto paper was an entirely different story. Each sketch felt inadequate, a mere shadow of the profound vision I had seen in my dream.
Seeking Understanding
In my frustration, I turned to God, asking why I was struggling so much to capture Jesus’ likeness. Why did each attempt feel so wrong? Why couldn’t I bring the image to life? As I prayed and reflected, a profound truth began to emerge. It wasn’t just about my lack of artistic skill; there was something deeper at play.
The Revelation
God revealed to me that my struggle was rooted in my attempt to create an idol. In my desire to hold onto the dream, I was trying to make a tangible representation of Jesus—a physical idol that I could see and touch. This realization hit me hard. Throughout the Bible, God warns against creating idols, emphasizing that our faith should be in Him, not in any physical representation. Exodus 20:4-5 clearly states, “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them.”
Faith Beyond Flesh
God’s intention was to deepen my faith and belief in Him through the dream. The vision of Jesus was meant to strengthen my spiritual connection, not to be confined to a sketch. By trying to capture Jesus on paper, I was relying on my flesh, my human abilities, rather than His Spirit. Romans 8:5 reminds us, “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”
Letting Go of Control
This revelation was both humbling and liberating. I realized that my desire to control and capture the vision was counterproductive to what God intended. He wanted me to trust in Him, to hold onto the faith and love that the dream had inspired, without needing a physical representation. It was a call to let go of my need for control and to surrender fully to His will.
A New Perspective
With this new understanding, I stopped trying to sketch Jesus. Instead, I focused on nurturing the faith that the dream had kindled. I spent more time in prayer, reading the Bible, and seeking His presence in my daily life. The image of Jesus in my mind became a symbol of faith rather than a project to be completed. It reminded me that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).
Moving Forward in Faith
This experience has taught me a valuable lesson about faith and obedience. It has reminded me that God desires our hearts, our trust, and our faith in Him above all else. Physical representations can sometimes become stumbling blocks, distracting us from the true essence of our relationship with God. As 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”
Wrapping up
My journey of trying to sketch Jesus has been a powerful reminder that faith is not about what we can see or create with our hands, but about trusting in the unseen and believing in His promises. It has reinforced the importance of walking by faith and relying on His Spirit rather than our flesh. I hope that my experience will inspire others to seek a deeper connection with God, free from the constraints of physical representations and rooted in the boundless love and faith that He offers.
May we all continue to grow in our faith, trusting in the God who reveals Himself in ways beyond our understanding and who calls us to believe and have faith in Him, even when we cannot see.