Where is God in Tragedy?

Another in The Fire by Suki Joseph Premnath

When tragedies happen, the biggest cry of human heart is, where is God in all of this or why didn’t an omnipotent God stop the tragedy? Even as a believer in the goodness of God, I am not immune to these questions. Last night while looking at the news on California fires, my heart had the same questions. “Why Lord?” Right after that, I was reading the story of Job in the Bible. The man was righteous and he suffered unbelievable heartache and physical pain. A few things that stood out to me last night are, 
– Humans in this broken world will not be able to avoid physical death, no matter how hard we try.

– tragedy and pain come to everyone.

– God is sovereign, and He knows everything and is all powerful, but He doesn’t control everything for reasons that will shape us for the better, even through trials and tragedy. Faith is often tested through trials, and faith is an important aspect in Godā€™s big picture, even if humans disregard it and disrespect it. Like in Job’s story, there are many factors to every tragedy. Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble but take heart I have overcome the world.” So Jesus’s gospel was not always about a perfect, pain-free life here on earth, but it is most importantly about the future, after this world, our eternal life.

– Our lives can not be extended beyond what God has planned for us. When it is time, we go!

– Godā€™s promise to never leave us nor forsake us remains. He is close to the broken hearted and heals their wounds. And through it, He calls them to set their eyes on Him. This world and everything in it will pass away but His faithful love will never pass away.

Tragedies like this bring us to our knees, we recognize the frailty and passing nature of life. Not one person is immune from such disasters. It could have been any of us. But in all the pain, there is still hope for the hurting.

I share this painting named “Another in the Fire”. Where is Jesus in the midst of the raging fire? He is with them.

#californiafires #prayforcalifornia #lafires #anotherinthefire

What is Freedom

My mixed media painting, Freedom, addresses this question.

Freedom by Sukirtha Joseph Premnath

“What exactly is freedom?”, I asked Jesus one night before I went to bed. God often speaks to me through dreams and that night I had powerful dream about what is NOT freedom.
Words in modern vocabulary often  minimize complex ideas. So in today’s culture, the word freedom = self expression and autonomy. It’s my right to do anything I want, whenever I want. But true freedom is a bigger, more complex idea. Godā€™s idea of freedom is wholesome and complete.

Also, what we call freedom isn’t truly freedom because we are often enslaved by something. The spiritual realm is active all the time, even if we do not see it with our physical eyes. The forces of darkness actively plan and plot to destroy lives by planting lies into our mind. Our mind is Satan’s target, irrespective of who you are. He plants hopelessness, insecurity, fear, pride, jealousy, bitterness, lies. These oppressive thoughts lead to sin, addiction bondage and all kinds of choices that result in brokenness. We live enslaved to satan and his lies.

Thus, true freedom, isn’t the right to do whatever we want to do, because, truthfully speaking, that almost never happens. True freedom is to be set free from the lies of the enemy and being manipulated by him.

I painted this painting with the word ‘Freedom’ in mind. I used all the colors that caught my attention and added a lot of shimmer. As I’ve kept the conversation open with Jesus about freedom, He has been opening my eyes to the realities of the freedom we have in Him. It’s important to fully understand it and receive all that He has for us.
Freedom isn’t freedom until the Son of God sets us free. Freedom from lies, freedom from sin, freedom from dark addictions anf hopelessness, freedom from self, freedom from the world, freedom from oppression, freedom from the demonic forces of evil. Jesus was bound so we could be free. He stepped into the grave to release us from death and decay. Real freedom is beyond what the human brain can fully comprehend.

My prayer is that this painting causes people to pause and truly consider what  freedom is.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10

Jesus replied, ā€œVery truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son(Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34,35

birds – set free from bondage
butterflies – transformation and renewal of mind
Gold on head – anointing, covering of truth on our minds
chicken wire pattern in the background – caged, bondage, captive
Diamond pattern, iridescent paint, sequin –   reflecting Godā€™s glory, freedom
cage and key – symbols of captivity and freedom
Circles –  hope, light, thriving in Godā€™s truth

#freeindeed #freedom #setfree

Jehovah Tsidkenu


After not painting for a month, I opened my Bible, hoping to hear from God and be inspired. The first scripture that I read was Isaiah 11:1,
“There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. ” (written between 740 and 701 BC). Then, I carelessly flipped through my Bible and I was drawn to Jeremiah 23:5-6, ā€œBehold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land… And this is the name by which he will be called: ā€˜The Lord is our righteousness.ā€™  (written between 626 and 587 BC)
Two similar passages by two prophets. I meditated on it and decided to paint it. The title is Hebrew translation for ‘The Lord is our righteousness.ā€™ The Lord is our righteousness. Not the good works we do, charitable donations we make, religious rituals, fasting, or keeping special days. God says that the Lord is our righteousness. Who is this Lord? This Lord is a shoot from the stump of Jesse (King David’s father). This Lord is a branch of David. David is the most important king of Isreal, who ruled over ancient Isreal from 1010 B.C. to 970 B.C. Even though Isreal would be captured by the Assyrians and Babylonians around 500 BC, God  promised to raise the Messiah from the leniage of King David. The Messiah wouldn’t come like a lion but as a small shoot from a dead tree. This Messiah will be our Lord. Lord means master, king. This King will rule righteously. He Himself will be our righteousness. Jesus was born in the lineage of David, 1000 years after King David’s reign. In Him, we become righteous. We receive His righteousness through faith. Grace is poured out through the Messiah crucified on the cross, making us righteous in Godā€™s eyes.
This concept of righteousness is often difficult to accept, but God, through his different prophets throughout history, passed on this same message to us. Receive it. Live in freedom. Despite our past failures and flaws, the Lord is our righteousness. Jehovah Tsidkenu.

Who, What, Why?

Being a woman of Indian origin, I have had many people ask me or imply to me of why I worship a Western god. I have heard some of my Indian friends say that Jesus is a Western god and Indians should worship Indian gods. Having immigrated to a Western country, it sometimes seems to attest more to a divided loyalty to my homeland, India.

I’ve known Jesus all my life. I can say that I was thrust into His arms from the time I was born. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that I have searched all my life for truths about my identity. My identity as a woman, a human, an Indian, an immigrant, a believer, a religious minority. I’m a thinker, I think a lot and I cannot blindly take accusations nor justifications. I cannot simply follow what I’m told to do.

Jesus, who is He? Why does He matter to me? Why do I follow a “western god”? I have pondered these questions from the time I could reason and think for myself.

Some things that I am able to accept and live with are:

  • Jesus is NOT a Western God. He is Middle Eastern. But if He had been Western, or Indian, I would have still worshipped Him because of who He is.
  • God is not specific to a geographic location. God cannot be restricted by geographical boundaries. To restrict God to a specific location/culture or language is counter intuitive to me. God is above all things, even nationality.
  • Culture, patriotism and faith are all different things and shouldn’t be mixed up, ever. Mixing these up has led to tragic results in the history. We cannot continue to make the same mistakes again.
  • I’m an Indian and I love the many cultural aspects of India. India gave me my roots, my childhood, my education and so many beautiful things in the past and present. I am forever grateful for that.
  • I’mĀ  an immigrant to the United States of America, and I love this country for how they have welcomed us and showed us hospitality. Day after day, I encounter many American friends and colleagues who treat me with love and dignity. America has given me opportunities that I could have only dreamed of, and for that, I’m grateful.
  • I am a Christian, a follower of Christ, who worships Jesus, a Middle Eastern man who spoke the Aramaic language, but was God incarnate in flesh.
  • My citizenship, as a follower of Christ is not of this world but with Him. Truly, we are all passers by, travellers in this life. Wherever God calls us to live, we live and live to His glory. My passport doesnā€™t determine my ultimate identity. God does.

Why am I blogging this? Well, I happened to see this YouTube video today, and it somehow resonated with me. It triggered a lot of those old questions again. Isaiah 53 isnā€™t taught in synagogues, apparently, because it’s a prophecy about the Messiah(the Christ). I follow the Messaih that even Jewish people often reject. It is kind of scandalous, don’t you think? But should that stop me? I think I follow Him because it makes the most sense to me. The prophecies in the forbidden chapter and more, archeological records, history, divine supernatural encounters, my personal experience of God, and His goodness, they all add up. Time and time again, I am amazed. There is a wow factor, every. single. time.

Sorry about the long post but I was awestruck once again! Wowed to be exact. šŸ˜†šŸ¤Æ

It’s an interesting video. Check it out.

Faith and Truth

I have been pondering about several things and this morning, while having a conversation with God, two words stuck out to me – FAITH and TRUTH.

I have observed that often, we tend to treat these two things as mutually exclusive. When it comes to faith, we often think we have to blindly believe whatever is taught to us by spiritual VIPs or our ancestors, and no questions should ever be asked. We often equate faith with believing in myths and mythologies passed on to us through others. We know truth is important, and truth has a place in the science lab but not in faith. We are afraid to test our faith and seek answers so we settle for faith that is easy, fairytale like, and blindly believe.
I have observed that there are two kinds of people, people who frown at the thought that faith =blind belief. Another group of people that think faith = blind belief is noble and needs to be encouraged. Questioning and asking questions is seen as blasphemous or arrogant.

During my conversation with God this morning , I realized there is another position, a position where faith and truth coexist. We do not discuss this position often. and tend to lean to the extremes. But it is imperative that we consider this position because this is the position of the Divine. God is truth, in Him, there is no lie, darkness, or shadow. Thus, faith in the Divine can not be mindless or blind. Faith can not be simply believing in something simply because that’s what we have been taught or used to. Faith should meet with the truth. Faith can not be the absence or ignorance of truth. Faith without truth is misplaced trust. Faith must be balanced with truth for truth is what brings freedom and faith is what makes us righteous, bringing us into a right standing with the Divine. Who we trust and what we believe in is of paramount importance. Without it, we will be blind, or worse, blind guides leading the blind.

My prayer is for God to illuminate our blindness, to open our eyes to the realities of God’s justice, God’s righteousness, God’s absolute Holiness, God’s glory, God’s power, God’s wisdom, God’s goodness, God’s light and God’s immeasurable compassion and grace.

#truth #faith #doodle

Taste and See

Taste and See Original Acrylic Painting by Suki Joseph Premnath

This is an original acrylic painting that I painted recently ( June,2024)

Honey is sweet. There is nothing naturally sweeter than that.
Honey, to me, symbolizes God’s presence and his sweetness. His presence is gentle, sweet, and life-giving.

Honey has healing properties.
When my kids were little and when they had seasonal allergies,one of the local farmers in Iowa recommended that I give them honey local to the area to improve their immunity to local allergens. The Lord, like honey, brings healing and health. He heals broken hearts and unspoken wounds. He heals diseases and revives our soul.

Honey is a symbol of prosperity. A country that has overflowing of honey has agricultural wealth. Back in the Old Testament times, the Lord said that He would lead his people to a land flowing with milk and honey. Likewise, a person who spends time in the Lord’s presence will experience spiritual prosperity, abundant life, and rest. Their soul will find satisfaction because God will be their wealth.

Here is a sweet invitation, come, taste, and see that the Lord is good. Experiences the fullness of joy and life in Him.

Taste and see that theĀ LordĀ is good; blessed is the one who takes refugeĀ in him. Psalms 34:8

But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock, I would satisfy you.ā€ Psalm 81:16 ESVā€¬

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalms 147:3

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. Matthew 4:23

The thiefā€™s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10

See

For months, I had been reflecting on this scripture, even written it on a note card placed on my desk as a constant reminder. Interestingly, eyes have also been a recurring theme in my recent paintings. The scripture reads, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

During the Easter Live Art event at Hope Church, the sermon’s theme was “Ultimate Hero.” I asked my painting partner, my 7-year-old son, for his thoughts on what we should paint to relate to the sermon title. He suggested, “We should paint Jesus healing the blind beggar Bartimaeus. I think that shows Jesus’ power.” This instantly reminded me of Ephesians 1:18, and we decided to paint that. Our hearts have a spiritual eye that needs to be enlightened to fully understand the hope we’ve been called to and the richness of our inheritance.

Jesus spoke about eyes in Matthew 6:22-23, saying, “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” It’s striking to realize that we can be blind to the light and mistake darkness for light. This is the default human condition since sin entered the world, resulting in utter darkness. However, God can enlighten that darkness. If He could heal a man born blind, He can also heal the blindness of our hearts. Jesus is the ultimate hero, opening blind eyes and blind hearts, bringing light into darkness. As the hymn goes, “I once was blind, now I can see.”

This original painting is available in my shop. Purchase this original painting here.

Temple Priests and Rituals


I am currently reading the book of Leviticus in the Bible. It isn’t an easy book to read because this book talks all about the duties of the temple priests and rituals. In the Bible, this is the third book of the Old Testament,and it’s the book of the laws and rituals for atonement, purification, & cleansing. It can get overwhelming and boring to read. Rules, rules, and more rules. But as I have been pushing through to complete this book, I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for what Jesus did!

One thing I see in this book is how HOLY God is. You can not approach Him casually without atonement. Another thing I see is His desire to dwell among us, to be in our midst, despite our unholiness. There are constant reminders of both these aspects in this book.


Something that struck me this morning was how blood was required in all rituals.Ā  There is no ritual in the book of Leviticus without the shedding of the blood of animals. Blood makes atonement, cleanses,and purifies. Jesus’ death made eternal atonement for everything and everyone, fulfilling the requirements of the rituals. He shed His innocent blood, once and for all, to cleanse us from all impurity of sin and death. That also means, since we are already atoned for, we no longer gain access to God through endless rituals and observation of laws. How do we know this? The author of Hebrews, another book in the Bible but in the New Testament, writes this:

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation)Ā  he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Hebrews 9:11-14 ESVā€¬

The book of Leviticus gives me a deeper appreciation for what I have received in Christ – graceĀ  This is grace is for everyone. We receive it through faith in Him. Praise God that longer have to take goats and calves for atonement. Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, is enough.


This painting is titled Crimson and represents the body and blood of Jesus.

It is Finished!

Today is Ash Wednesday, and it marks the beginning of Lent. This morning, I was reading through the Bible and accidentally (was it?) came across the passage in Leviticus.

All the rest of the bullā€”he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and shall burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap, it shall be burned up. Leviticus 4:11-12

This passage talks about the rituals for when a priest or when the whole congregation of Isreal sins against God unintentionally and realizes they have sinned. For atonement, the priest will have to sacrifice a bull for himself or for the congregation, carry the blood of the sacrifice to the incense altar in the Holy Place and sprinkle the blood before the Veil before Most Holy Place. He would then mark the gold incense altar with the blood from the sacrifice. He would then make a burnt offering at the brass altar outside the entrance of the tent of the meeting. After all these rituals for atonement were complete, he would carry the carcasses of the sacrifice and burn it on an ash heap outside the camp. Such a lengthy ritual for atonement for sin?

One commentary reads, “After this, the carcass was burnt outside the camp. When people saw this being done, they knew that the ritual was over: sin had been judged, and fellowship with God was restored.“

When Jesus died and shed his blood, he made atonement for us. Atonement for our sins is complete, done, finished. Sin has been judged, and fellowship with God is restored. So this Ash Wednesday, as you are reminded of your “unintentional” or intentional sins, remember also that Jesus has already made atonement for your sins. Your relationship with God is restored. You belong to Him. This is God’s love for you! This is good news! Really good news!! Happy Valentines Day and a thoughtful Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday

The Wind

I am typing this as we are nearing the end of our 2000-mile road trip to Ohio and Niagara. We are driving into Iowa now. Iowa has been our home for the past 11 years. One thing you can’t miss while entering into this state is wind turbines scattered across either side of the interstate. Corn fields as far as the eyes can see and wind turbines silently doing their their job, producing clean energy.

Wind Turbines, Iowa by Sukirtha Joseph

A wind turbine moves to the lightest breeze. It might look like there is no wind, but these wind turbines are proof that there is movement in the air. While mindlessly watching these turbines, I was reminded of Jesus’s conversation with Nicodemus.

Jesus replied, ā€œI assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So donā€™t be surprised when I say, ā€˜You must be born again.ā€™ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but canā€™t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you canā€™t explain how people are born of the Spirit.ā€ John 3:5-8

In my walk with Jesus, the one thing I am constantly reminded of is that the Spirit of God moves in unimaginable ways. Just when we think we know the way, there is a better but often unexpected way in which God moves. The other thing that I know is that the Spirit of God is always on the move. We may not always see Him, but there is plenty of evidence around us of His movement.

Salvation is of the Spirit of God. You can not accelerate it. You can not slow it down. You can not manufacture it, you can not force it. You can not control it because it is like the wind. But when the wind moves, you will experience it. You will see the blades move and experience the result of the movement – clean energy that can help light the whole city.