"Sovereign Hope"

copyrighted by Art4Him Studios 2017 (2018 Drawing)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father knows the future, as He knows each step we take on this journey called "LIFE". How do we respond when all of a sudden we are hit with tragic news?  There are many answers to that question but I want to share a personal answer to it.
We were awaiting the arrival of our first granddaughter and on the day that she was due, my daughter's water broke. As she and my son-in-law drove to the hospital, they talked about  the long awaited birth of their baby girl.   When they arrived to the hospital, they found out instead that their precious little girl was already in the presence of her Savior.
How do you respond with that kind of news? I was not there with them, but I know how I responded when I heard the news that night. My heart felt like it was ripped right out of me. Not only was I hurting in regards to my granddaughter, but more importantly, I was hurting for my daughter and son-in-law.
I went through so many emotions that day and the days after. I wondered  why the LORD allowed this to happen when these two young people loved Him so much and would raise their little girl to know about Him. I then remembered the passage in God's Word about Him being the God of all comfort. He knew how we felt and He grieved with us! WOW! That's what this drawing is all about!
As my husband and I grieved, we also prayed that the LORD would provide a way for us to be able to get down there to be with our "kids". It is amazing when you look back, you tend to shake your head and say, "Why did we worry? God had this all under control!" That's exactly what happened. He had it all under control. He provided in such a way that we could have never imagined and allowed us to be down there to comfort our daughter and son-in-law, but also to grieve with them together at the service and the graveside service the following day.
How can God use this tragedy for good? Being an artist, art helps when dealing with hurt or stress. Besides reading God's Word and praying, the LORD uses drawing and painting to draw me to Him. It's my "audience of ONE" time with Him. When I draw or paint, it is as if Jesus is sitting right beside me guiding my hand with each pencil mark or brush stroke. It is as if He is hugging me when I start to cry from sadness but it is also a special time when I pray as I work. This is how the LORD helped me with my granddaughter's  Home going. 
As I asked the LORD how He could use the art He has me do, to glorify Him through this tragedy and as a means to help comfort my daughter and son-in-law; He showed me in a very special way. A photographer from a unique business that caters to taking beautiful, touching photos of babies that have died during birth, came and took pictures of my daughter, son-in-law and our beautiful granddaughter at the hospital. I was given a photo of my son-in-law holding his precious daughter and as I looked at that photo, I thought of Jesus holding Colette with such tenderness, just as her father was doing.
I then thought about that verse again in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 and how He was the God of all comfort. When Jesus was here on earth, His friend, Lazarus, died. As He stood in front of the grave, He knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, but as He looked at Lazarus" sisters and friends weeping, "...He was deeply moved in His spirit and greatly troubled." "...Jesus wept." (John 11:33, 35)
I pictured Jesus standing there in that hospital room seeing the weeping of her parents but also from family and friends there. I felt that He was deeply moved and as He held her body at the same time as my son-in-law was holding her body, holding my son-in-law close to Him, He wept! Not for Colette but for her parents, family and friends. You see Colette was already in Heaven because just as Jesus had said to Martha, Lazarus' sister, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die."  John 11:25-26
The tear that is falling down Jesus' face in this drawing, was not for Colette, but for her Mommy and Daddy. It was for her grandparents, aunts and uncles and for the friends who were there to comfort and grieve with them. As I have looked at this drawing many times, the LORD has reminded me that not only is this a picture of Him holding our sweet, little Colette, but it also represents each little one that has gone Home to Him. Whether it is through the stillbirth that Colette went through, a miscarriage, an early infant death or even through an abortion; Jesus is right there holding these precious little ones in His arms as He welcomes them Home. For each one that He has held, He sheds that tear for the parents that are here on earth.
Does it end with the grieving? NO!!! Remember, Jesus said that HE is the RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE! That is where His HOPE comes in. He came to this earth to die for each of us and that includes my granddaughter. We are ALL sinners needing a Savior. Jesus, who knew no sin, came here to die for us who know sin. All of us! Praise the LORD that He is NOT in the grave, but that He rose again, so that we can have new life in Him.
I realized many years ago, that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and that is when I humbly came to Jesus, asking forgiveness for my sins and for Him to be my Savior! What about YOU? Where do you stand? I KNOW I will see my granddaughter, Colette, someday. I would love to introduce her to you.
We also have to remember that God is SOVEREIGN, meaning that He has all power and authority over life and death. He has a purpose for each of our lives. We might not understand why God allows things to happen like the death of a child, but we also have to remember that we live in a fallen, sinful world. That's where God's HOPE comes in. Hope is to look forward with reasonable confidence. God created us to have fellowship with Him, but because of sin there is a wall between God and us. God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus to be our rescuer, our redeemer. He came and took our punishment upon Himself so that we can have that fellowship with God.  When we realize that we are sinners in need of a Savior and put our faith and trust in the One who gave His life for us, we have the HOPE of being with Him someday, but also to have that fellowship with Him now. 
I might not understand why the LORD allowed little Colette to leave this sinful world early, in our eyes; but I know that I can TRUST His heart. He is Sovereign and He is Hope, and with that we can have confidence in His love for us. He proved that at Calvary - He is our  "Sovereign Hope"!

copyrighted by Art4Him Studios 2017-drawing