There is a creative arts uprising happening in the Church across the globe—particularly in the visual arts. Every day my Facebook wall fills with mighty masterpieces of insight and truth created by many of God's awesome creative family. I am connected to this as an artist who creates paintings revealing the Father's heart.
Brush strokes of breakthrough
A few weeks back I experienced a serious case of artist's block. I realised a direct link to my relationship with God—instead of the full life Jesus promises I was experiencing a life of confusion, anxiety and frustration. There was only one way to break out of this rut: to remember who God has made me to be.
It was nearly midnight; I had a choice to either go to bed frustrated by my lack of painting, or break the pattern and splash some colour around. I was at the end of myself and realised my need to connect with my heavenly Father.
I began to paint; but I felt like I was trying too hard—what seemed natural in the past felt so awkward. As I made a mess of my canvas I realised God didn't want me to strive, but to rest in Him, to enjoy his presence, and to celebrate our awesome connection.
I began to enjoy the experience of worshipping with God through the bold brush strokes and splashes of colour. God reminded me of who I was in Him, and how when He created me He knew we would share the language of creative expression.
As the hours passed my tiredness disappeared and was replaced by the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. I saw images, symbols and colours which seemed to speak directly to my heart.
I had been searching for answers in my confusion and disconnection—and God was revealing them to me as I worked on the details of this painting.
A message revealed
Vibrant blues radiated off the canvas, with the image of a gold warrior's helmet upside down on the grass in the foreground. I recalled the salvation helmet in Ephesians chapter 6, and realised the enemy's arrows had been leading me to forget who I was in Christ—leading me to believe lies about my purpose.
As I continued to paint God flooded my heart with revelations, and the painting evolved into a montage of my life and the destiny God is calling me to. God used a painting of tree, a bride, a city, and a warrior's helmet to turn my heart back to joy and ultimately back to Him.
God's heart to connect with you
God speaks to us personally, uniquely. This is the God who created you in your mother's womb, He is the God who knows the number of hairs on your head, He is the God who knows you better than you know yourself. He desires to connect with us and remind us of the uniqueness and wonder of each person.
Maybe you are a dancer, a singer, or a writer? Maybe this is more than a hobby, maybe this is not a waste of time; but rather an avenue into the heart of the Creator. Next time you create ask God to reveal the mysteries of His kingdom—His truth which has the power to impact your life, the lives of others, and maybe even the world.
'I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made'. (Psalm 139, verse 14)
Justin Monaghan is currently launching as a professional prophetic artist under the label JR Faith Creations and runs a creative home fellowship with his wife Liana. Justin is also heavily involved in his local surfing community of South Australia as a surf coach, a judge of surf contests and a member of Christian Surfers
Check out JR Faith Creations to see some of his art at https://www.facebook.com/Jrfaithcreations
Justin Monaghan's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/justin-monaghan.html