It crossed my mind the other day to imagine God as the supreme Artist – and that seems a perfect word around which to base a new series of exploring the adventure of prayer. Amongst the qualities artist require, according to Chambers Dictionary, are ‘imagination and taste.’ Imagination is obvious, and in God’s case unsurpassed, but ‘taste’ is a more unusual word to use in this context. It suggests a sensitive palette, and of being able to discern what is good, rather than that which is in ‘good taste’ and the niceties of etiquette, which, let it be said, are so often at odds with the ways of God’s own heart and Kingdom.

To engage in prayer is to engage in the work and ministry of Jesus Himself, who ever lives as our advocate and intercessor in Heaven. He invites us to partake in the creative and ongoing ‘artistry’ of all that He is doing in the world. This calls for a profound emotional as well as spiritual engagement, because artists, by definition, give themselves wholeheartedly to their work. And whilst we may be used to making allowances for people with an overly sensitive ‘artistic temperament,’ there is nothing capricious about the Lord – though there is often a great deal of humour! May each one of us in our own very distinctive way deploy all our skills, taste, heart and identificatory imagination as we seek to be ‘artists’ in the Lord’s sight.

Prayer that begins in communion with the Lord is always effective, and we can’t do too much of it. We find ourselves sending up simple arrow prayers concerning the things that happen to and around us, rather as an artist doodles and sketches and often produces something that is both beautiful and telling in the process.

I think of a prayerful lady who used to say that, apart from her morning quiet time, which she spent mainly in the word, she loved to pray in the kitchen, on the hoof around the house, and then again at – or even through – the night. Wonderful! And then, beyond this spontaneous reaction to the things we come into contact with, and converse with the Lord about on a moment-by-moment basis, He encourages many of us to develop a rhythm of prayer that encompasses certain people, places, and themes. This is when prayer moves from a scattergun approach to something profoundly strategic, and which is more akin to a guided missile than a repeating rifle.

Our first task, therefore, is to find the themes in prayer that the Lord would have us take up. For some, we will begin by applying broad brush strokes, and then, as the Spirit homes in on these themes, we will find specific points emerging that require more detailed prayer – like an artist switching to a finer brush.

Highlight the themes and people You would have us carry in our heart on a regular basis, Lord, as opposed to the many matters we find ourselves responding to on a one-off basis in the course of an ordinary day.

Thank You that prayer is an artist’s calling, and not a performance. Grant us a fervent heart and an inspired imagination that is prepared to explore the ramifications and emotions that are involved in any situation. Slow us down when we need to pause beyond our initial ‘sketch’ and allow ourselves time to ponder and to wait and watch for Your perspective as to how we are to ‘paint’ and depict any given situation in prayer. Keep us from being so abstract and predictable in our prayers that we give you very little material with which to work to answer our petitions.

Grant us to know more of the power of the true prayer of faith, and the ability to sense the angle and direction we should approach it from. You love to give us verses, thought associations, picture images and even visions to deepen our engagement with a particular scene, and to launch us into deeper prayer.

And when You share these insights with us, keep us from assuming that this is the complete revelation when, in reality, You may have others to offer, After all, it is rare that an artist in any medium considers their work to be absolutely finished and complete. Thank You that You often have something more that will add depth and pathos to an image, or a shaft of light that highlights something that has thus far eluded us.

Thank You, too, that since multiple artists are likely to view the same scene through very different lenses, our unity is in You, rather than in necessarily sharing an identical vision or understanding. Praise You for those times when this is the case! Thank You that if we are in You, our understanding of a subject will be enriched rather than diminished by the insights accorded to others. Where our vision and perspective is at complete odds with someone else’s, then we ask You to bless both parties, and, if need be, to adjudicate between the two. This will not defeat or perplex You!

Thank You for the way in which Paul encouraged the believers in Ephesus and Thessaloniki to ‘pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests,’ and to ‘always keep on praying without ceasing.’ (Eph. 6:18, 1 Thess. 5:1). You have given us freedom as artists to create in accordance with the way You have made, led, and trained us. Show us who it is we can best pray with, and be truly honest with without having to worry about our politics or theology, or fearing that we are coming across as judgemental. Whether we tend more toward contemplative prayer, prayer walking, or some more formal expression of prayer, lead us to the people and places where we can be at home and pray most deeply. You want us to be as free in prayer as we are in conversation with our dearest friends, and ready to pray for anything from missing keys to international matters.

Thank You that everything Jesus did and talked to His Father about in the course of His ministry advanced the Kingdom of God and refuted and demolished satan’s hold over people and places. May we do likewise!

You have many messages and situations that You want to inscribe on our heart, people, and places that we can cherish and carry in prayer. . . . Right now we reach out our hand to accept the paintbrush, sewing or knitting needles, pen, potter’s clay, or some other tool in your hand to sense what You would have us create.

Let there a bridge between what we do in the physical and the spiritual realm and what You do in response to our prayers. Let us work with all the skill of the artist in responding to what we sense and carry. Whatever the precise form it takes, we are doing our best to be artists for You!

Photo by Jade Stephens on Unsplash