christ in the wilderness

I just love this painting. It comes from a series of paintings by Stanley Spencer, a secular artist. I have not seen the whole series. In fact, I have only seen this and another which shows Christ holding a scorpion (a surprisingly serene painting). I find it interesting that, of all the biblical themes he could of chosen as a decidedly secular artist, he chose to paint Christ in the desert. what I think is so interesting about this painting is the way that Christ seems to be being swallowed up, perhaps by temptation, hunger, or frustration? He is reaching out to the Father, something I think we forget he had to do. I think we put Christ on this pedestal like he was never really tempted or hurting. After all, he was God.

This painting reminds me that Christ is familiar with my suffering, whether it be from temptation, or stress, physical pain, or frustration. His answer was to look to the Father. Mine? Too often I try to fix things on my own. I figure if God knew what I was going through He would fix it for me, and if He doesn't, I will. It's hard sometimes to know whether it is God's will to wait something out or to move. I found myself praying the other day like Moses and Joshua did in the OT, "Lord, if you do this, it will bring you glory," and, while it was true, I am unsure of whether God has something in mind which would bring Him even greater glory. Hard call. Hard to be patient. Even laying a fleece is sometimes difficult, like I am trying to force God's hand.

I still like the picture, even if I haven't learned my lesson...