The Good Shepherd Double Matted Fine Art Print, Illustrated by Suzanne Davis Harden

“The Good Shepherd” Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Copyright © by Suzanne Davis Harden, All Rights Reserved. May Christ be Honored.

This Double Matted Fine Art Print reproduces my painting of "Jesus Walking with a Child by the Sea": (Acrylic on Illustration Board).
I created this beautiful print from one of my Fine Art Inspirational Cards.

Often I will repurpose my art and give it a new life with a new purpose.

The Lord does the same with us when He offers us a new life in Christ. He says, “Let go of the past, I will give you new life, new hope, trust Me.”

This image is one of several that that the Lord gave me one year that were inspired from a series of dreams about Christ walking with a little child by the seashore near a lighthouse.

In this scene the Lord Jesus has walked up to a child who was playing in the sand, and asks her would she like to walk with Him to the beautiful bright Lighthouse just around the curve beyond the shore?”

Once long ago Jesus had walked up to a busy tax collector named Matthew and asked him, “Follow Me.”
The Tax Collector was not regarded as someone appropriate for a Rabbi to consider training as a disciple, much less wanting to hang around with as a friend.

The little girl in this painting is a metaphor for the ordinary person, the child of God, who is obscure, unknown and cares nothing about riches or fame or anything but living her life every day, doing what she knows how to do, just as Matthew did.

Though she wears a white dress, she is a sinner like the publican. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is not one creature on earth no matter how outwardly pious they appear who is righteous before our holy God. And this is why Jesus comes walking by and asks, “Will you follow Me?”

Jesus did not promise the Tax Collector fame or prosperity, good health or success or great fortune when He asked him to follow Him. Matthew already had prosperity.
Jesus asked him to give up his wealth and be poor, in fact, to gain riches in Heaven, so that he might have Christ.
The Bible said Matthew never hesitated, that he immediately followed Jesus.

The little girl in the Painting smiles up at the Savior. She seems to want to go with the Lord. But there’s that right hand she’s holding behind her back, symbolizing her doubts. After all, she does not really know Him.
Should she trust Him?

It’s safe here on the sand she imagines.

He tells her that it is not safe on the sand, that in fact, He is a high Rock, and if she comes and puts her faith and hope and trust in Him, she will be truly safe.

For the sea can come up and swallow her if she stays grounded to the sand.
But if she is holding on to Him when that sea comes up, then He will raise her high upon His shoulders and they will both be above the dangerous tides.

For Jesus is stronger than the mightiest waves that could overcome her, more powerful than the tugging tides that tried to engulf her, and would shield her from the storm and the raging winds.

If she will walk with Him, He will hold her hand all the way and get her safely to that beautiful lighthouse.
And when they get there they will have a grand tea party with His Heavenly Father and all the angels.

She decides to leave the sandcastles she had been building behind because, why bother to keep building something that is just going to wash away?

Jesus has told her that everything built upon the sand will melt into the sea. ~Everything that is not walking in Him.
So, with one hand still behind her back she set out for the Lighthouse with Him, just as long ago Matthew had left his tax collecting behind to follow Jesus.

The Lord smiled and said, “ Doubts and fears are all right, My child. As long as you at least keep one hand clinging tightly to Mine and continue to walk forward with Me, you demonstrate your faith.
It’s only when you refuse to give Me any of Thy hands and refuse to walk with Me at all that you let your doubts and fears come up and wash away thy faith.
That is when you remain on the sand and allow the fierce waves to pull you down beneath the cold waters of the sea.”
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The scripture that inspired this print and that was printed on the original card that this print was birthed from is Isaiah 54:10 (KJV):

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."

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The Good Shepherd Inspirational Double Matted Fine Art Print comes unframed. However, the small print looks lovely in a bedside table frame placed on a nightstand.

*For more details about the print refer to the photos.


*The listings of my prints, cards, and pieces of my original art in in my shop are watermarked for Copyright purposes. Your purchases will not be watermarked.