WWJD: What Would Jesus DRAW?
Any good minister who is about to preach a message from the Word of God always allows the Holy Spirit to speak through him rather than himself.
It is said of many Christian singers and musicians that God used them musically rather than them singing or playing under their own influence.
You ever ask God to guide your way while driving around lost on in a storm?
So, why not allow God to guide your creativity as well? I don’t mean just on “religious” illustrations or paintings of angels. Why not ask the Spirit of the Lord to create THROUGH you like He speaks through a minister on every work where you apply the gift that He gave you?
God says in Psalms 32:8 “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”
Since Visual Art is primarily a method of communication, just think of how much more effective the communication would be when it is created under the guidance of the all knowing God. “I will guide thee with mine eye” means that God will guide the artist to do things from His vantage point.
Now this doesn’t mean necessarily that your work will win every art show or even be any more aesthetic as before. But it does mean that it would be more in line with God’s vision rather than your limited vision. This allows your work to accomplish more than it ever would have under your limited guidance.
The painting will evoke the right emotions, the graphic design will communicate a more effective message…the design pattern may be just what your client had in mind.
So, here are 3 ways to go about it:
1. Acknowledge that your creative talent is not your own, but a gift given to you from God.
2. Get into a position or state of “Neutrality”:
Can you get to a place that if Christ Himself redirected your creative idea, you would change your plan? If you walked into a project already with a vision or concept and in the process you realized that the Spirit of the Lord wanted to take you in a different direction, could your will take a back set to His will?
3. Be willing to do a “God” thing rather than a “good” thing:
Expect that God has a plan even for your works of art, and He will share what He has imagined with you. You will find that the closer that you walk with God, the more you will share His imagination!
So true. Even the thought of it challenges my desire for control. I have often just thought that I couldn’t do it on my own anyway; that if anything comes out awesome, then it had to be Him and not me. As much as I don’t want to, it makes me rethink that. What would you say to that, Tony?
Devin-
I say that the biggest struggle especially with us artist and designers is to give in to God’s will over our own because it is NATURAL for us to say “this is how it should look, should be..” etc.
It is SUPERNATURAL for us to say “I believe my way is the solution, but God, Your way is BEST”. That’s when God’s “SUPER” works through our “NATURAL” and accomplishes so much more than it would have without Him being involved.
I thank God for your words and for the two follow-up comments.
I find myself delaying God-ideas because of my inability to match outwardly what He has revealed inwardly, so my excuse is to practice more until my skill “catches up” to the level I believe it takes to draw what was revealed; the result is often aborted fruit, a discouraged heart, and a frustrated mind.
I pray for the Lord’s recovery.
I’ve come to realize, even now, that I’m never going to have the technique down or enough time, or whatever, so I should just draw by faith and leave the rest to Him.
I must draw unto His pleasure and not my own…thank you again for this encouragement.
Thanks for the kind words, Mel.
I agree with your realization: “draw by faith and leave the rest to Him”!
Tony-
You see I have a desire, I am not the best designer in my University class and I am OK with that because I have something they haven’t got. They have not got the God factor. They have desires to get a design job and earn money and become famous. They are restricted by the words that Design is really hard to get into properly.
Me my vision is NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE with the hand of God involved. I don’t want to be just a designer that does work for clients and show the truth of the gospel by working by certain ethics I am thinking bigger than that because they are in line with my passions i want the truth itself to be spread through the design itself… now you don’t see many designers like that or design companies like that. I can imagine your thinking but there are christian organisations and yes there are but none that I know design to speak of Gods Character they design easy booklets talking about what God is doing in that organisation great… it really is, but what about design that speaks to people directly of God.
Do you follow. What are your thoughts.
Hi Jonathan -
It sounds like that you desire to take out all stops! That you wish that God be glorified directly through the work that you do.
Let me ask you, are you sayng that you want to design “Christian-themed” work or any type of work but allowing God’s influence to show through it?
Always God’s influence which goes without saying – as a design student it is always easier when God’s involved. But yeah to the former God themed Design
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