Art, Worship, and Divine Creation

Art has always been a significant part of my life, both in admiring the work of others as well as creating my own. Lately, this passion has fallen a bit by the way side due to a lack of sufficient time. However, with the completion of yet another semester of college, this morning I found myself with a little bit of free time. So I decided to paint. I find art to be therapeutic, calming, and freeing. I’ve learned to see it as a form of worship. The mind set free to pray, adore, and praise. But this morning I saw it in a different light.

As I began to paint I was thinking about God as creator of the universe. I was reflecting on all the incredible intricacies of the world when I stumbled upon an unexpected realization… The Lord who created the stars, mountains, and seas, the Lord who paints the most miraculous sunsets, is the same Lord who created me. And beyond that, of all the incredible things his hands have made, he chose man to be created in his image. Imago dei. By simply creating, I was reflecting the image of my Lord, like a small child chugging along with a toy lawn mower imitating his father. We may be far from being able to do the real thing, but by imitating we are saying, “I want to be like you.” What greater form of flattery is there?

Art transcends the physical restraints of this world and is a partaking in the divine process of creation. Melodies and strokes unite to form an image that comes not just from the hand of the creator, and not just the mind, the heart or the soul either; but rather from the uniting of every part of your being. This is in essence, what it means to be alive. And when this is set in perfect rhythm with the heart of God, that is true worship. Worship is not about the song being sung, the sight being gazed upon, or the masterpiece being created. Worship is the uniting of the heart, soul, mind, and strength to imitate the ultimate creator. It’s saying, “I love you, and want to be like you.”