Overwhelmed
Acrylic on canvas. 30"x30". Completed in 2016. Original sold.
Meaning
This painting I did at the Azusa Now conference in Los Angeles, 2016. On April 9, 1906, in LA, a small group of people lead by William J. Seymour earnestly prayed for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They had been praying for it for a long time and Seymour preached about the gifts of the Spirit long before he received them because they were so hungry. That night their prayers were answered and what happened next shook the globe. From the Azusa Street Revival sparked many others and stories say the presence of God was so thick on their building that people two blocks away would fall on their knees before God. It was prophesied that 100 years later Holy Spirit would pour Himself out again on LA like He did at Azusa. This was Azusa Now.
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The Azusa Street Revival was marked by hunger - hunger for Holy Spirit and what He had for them. The people would not have an agenda when they came to the meetings, but each sought the Lord through prayer and worship, following His lead and allowing Him to do whatever He wanted in the meetings. The result was a people on fire for the Living God who walked in incredible miracles and power.
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That same hunger is overtaking people today. Revival comes through the ones who will get in the presence of God and burn. It comes through the ones with fire in their hearts, chasing after the King, and becoming so overwhelmed by Him that they naturally transform the world around them.
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This painting represents a collision. I feel that at Azusa Now we tapped into the wells dug in the Azusa Street revival and the legacy they left behind, and that the fire we have collided with the hunger they had (this is the twister in the painting - the water is the wells and the storm is our hunger). I feel like this collision will not be without affect in the world around us. Just like how a storm cloud becomes heavy with rain and must release it so are we. We have become heavy with the presence of God and now the release comes. It starts with hunger. It starts with us getting in the presence of God and burning, becoming so overwhelmed by Him that we naturally release His presence wherever we go.
Story
Making this painting was an insane experience. Azusa Now occurred during my second year at Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry. Instead of missions trips, all the students went to Azusa Now as the ministry team. I was asked to create during worship on stage with several other students... on stage... in a stadium full of more than 20,000 people... whew! Honestly, it was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had. I didn't feel any nerves or pressure at all; it was just a joyful time of worshiping Jesus! ​
God did so much that day! One man I prayed for was having trouble with his ears and God healed him! I'm not sure if he was struggling with deafness or pain as there was a language barrier, but either way, he encountered Jesus in a miraculous way. We even saw people getting up out of their wheel chairs and walking!​