Engage Art Contest

Recently I submitted an entry into the Engage Art Contest. You can learn more about it here. https://engageart.org/

I’m impressed by the size and scope of this contest. Here’s a snippet from the website.

The Engage Art Contest is a juried competition for original Visual Art , Music Video , Film and Performing Arts. The topic is the Spiritual Battle described in Ephesians 6:10-20 and related verses

The contest is open until May 31st, 2020 and offers a total of $100,000 in prizes. This is the largest faith based art contest I’ve seen. How about a big thank you to the creators and sponsors.

Below is the text and image of my submission titled David and Goliath. This image is also in my gallery. I hope you enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~

This image was captured in the Fall near our home. It was taken right at sunrise on a foggy morning with a shaft of light highlighting the diminutive tree against the backdrop of the much larger species. I think most people are familiar with the story of David and Goliath – or the metaphor of the underdog versus the favorite.

The application of Ephesians 6: 10-20 If you’re familiar with the story of David and Goliath, David was quite the underdog. Goliath was over 9 feet tall and was outfitted with the best armor and weapons. King Saul offered David his armor and weapons, but they proved too weighty and cumbersome for the “shepherd boy.”

Armed with just a sling and five smooth stones David confronted the giant in the valley and said, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you!”

And with one shot of the sling the stone sunk deep into Goliath’s head and he fell dead! But was it the sling and stone that fell Goliath? Sure, in a literal since we can say that. However, David acknowledged, “Today the LORD will conquer you.”

As we see in 2 Corinthians 10:4 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.” I’m sure the apostle Paul was well versed in David’s story when he wrote to the believers in Corinth and Ephesus to put on the whole armor of God.

The real battle between David and Goliath wasn’t for land and servitude, it was a battle between “the God of heaven’s armies” and and the “god of this dark world.” It was a battle for the soul and spirit – and to whom will we serve?

Every time I view this piece of artwork in our home, I’m reminded of the battle we face daily to “stand our ground…pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

I'd love to hear from you.

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