Art of Prayer Introduction Booklet

 

 

 

 

The Art of Prayer

by

Susan Starrett 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An introduction to connecting with God through imagery

The Art of Prayer: An Introduction

 

   Art, with its infinite expressions has been used by humankind for millennia. From the days of cave painting to cathedral glass, artists have sought to connect with the Creator and all His wonders.

  Art has the ability to stir our hearts and fill us with awe and wonder. It helps us emotionally connect to the world around us through the eyes of someone else. A landscape painted in colours that have no name might fill us with joy. The art of WWII artists might cause us to weep. A lighthouse surrounded by a storm might help us see God in our own season of darkness.

  Art and imagery touches us without words, without a need for literacy or a common language. A drawing of a duck is seen as a duck no matter where you are. The carefully designed stick man of safety appears in countless images around the world. He tells us when it is safe to cross the road or if the surface is slippery or where we aren’t allowed to go.  

 

God is the Creator extraordinaire.

 It is both what and who He is.

 We are made in His image.

 Therefore we are all little creators.

 

 This might be hard to believe but you are! It’s a matter of recovering the piece of you that may have been crushed by the school system, a parent, and even your own critical eye. Maybe no one ever taught you how to draw or paint or provided the space for you to experiment with art. Maybe you learned doing art was a waste of time.

 

  The devil is determined to crush the artist’s soul because of the power in what the Art of Prayer can do for us. Art has the ability to strengthen our faith, our prayers, and our connection with God, Jesus and Holy Spirit. Art can help others connect on a deeper level, too.

  You don’t have to be an experienced or trained artist to embark on a prayer journey through visual arts. The stick man of safety can be used to illustrate emotions or situations. Photography, computer images, magazines, stencils, and even colouring books can all be used to form a visual prayer.

  It’s not about the purpose for the art it’s that the art has a purpose. That purpose is to help us draw nearer to God.

Spiritual Practices

 

  By its very nature, creating art before God wraps all the spiritual prayer practices into one. We can’t help but be still. If our hands are kept busy, it stills our racing thoughts and opens the doorway to hearing from God. Being still enables all the other practices like meditation or listening to God’s Spirit happen organically.

  Medieval monks would spend thousands of hours beautifully illustrating a single verse or chapter of God’s Word. The Creator’s Word became a work of art. It’s hard to imagine how much they learned as they carefully applied gold leaf to a single letter, a leaf, a symbol of faith. From their birthplace of illustrated manuscripts, we now have Christian colouring books that provide an opportunity for us to delve deeper and further into God’s Word than we might have thought possible.

  For decades, I hadn’t drawn much of anything. Like so many other artists, my creator voice had been crushed by time and trial.

  When I became a believer, God called me to the drafting table that had belonged to my father. It badly needed dusting. The Art of Prayer started off by painting the sounds of classical music. Splashes of unformed colours filled page after page.

  I wondered how I would illustrate what this new faith looked like. God provided the simple, corny, idea of a candle in the darkness. It spoke into my life and has remained a pertinent reminder of who God is all these years later.

  Relearning how to play through art can become a place where the spiritual practices of conversation, of listening, and of sharing with God and Jesus becomes possible. Getting out pencil crayons or bottles of inexpensive paint is an act of the child God calls us to be.

  Creating art can also become a place of letting go and letting in. Our first tentative efforts begin the process of letting go of everything that stopped us from believing we are creators. If it’s any assurance, there are only two people who might ever see what you have done: the triune God and you.

 Artistic endeavors, no matter how simple, can be part of a healing journey through the spiritual practices of repentance and gratitude. It provides the time and space to turn our lives and our hearts away from what holds us back. Trust that the time spent before the Lord drawing, colouring or sharing will help forgiveness become part of the journey, too.

 

Materials

  It doesn’t take a whole lot of investment in art supplies to be an artist. Although I recommend a decent quality, multi-media sketchbook because having nice paper to work on makes a world of difference. It can handle markers, paint and pencil without bleeding through. Start small. A 7 x 9 or 8 1/2 x 11 should be sufficient to begin with.

  Or maybe a sketchbook is too intimidating. There is a wide selection of faith based or inspirational colouring books available on Amazon.

  Regardless, it’s good to have the basic back-to-school supplies at hand like pens and pencils (regular or tech), markers and/or pencil crayons, a pencil sharpener, a math set, glue sticks, tape, and scissors. Oh, and a decent eraser.

  Over and above these basic supplies, painting may be something that peaks your interest. I don’t have a personal preference but frequently use both water colours and acrylics in a single prayer. I use liquid water colours from a tube to fill my palette because they dry out and can still be used. Inexpensive craft paints come in handy. Many prayers are a blend of those and more expensive “artist quality” paints.

  It’s handy to keep a few old magazines around, too, for inspiration, adding words to your art or for doing collages. Subject matter isn’t important. God can use anything and everything we offer to Him.

  Collage is art created through cut and paste technology. It’s one of my favorite art forms which is both simple to do yet creates prayers of incredible complexity minus the time needed to draw everything.

  Stencils are also a great thing to have.

  If creating art on the computer is what appeals to you the most…go for it!

  Then there’s photography, sewing, woodworking, finger painting, sculpture, welding…creativity and art has infinite expressions!

  Again, it’s not about the purpose for the art, it’s that the art has a purpose. It’s about dedicating the time spent creating to and for God’s glory.

 

Dedicating Space

  The place you choose to create before God will become a Sacred Space, a holy destination where you go to meet the Lord and to pray.

  My father’s drafting table has been relegated to the basement due to limited space upstairs. That’s okay because I now meet Jesus at my kitchen table. Sometimes I’ll even push back a chair and invite Him to sit down with me. This visual aid helps when I feel I am alone. Those are the times when I need to use the Art of Prayer the most to express what is in my heart. When my words fail, God provides the images.

  Over time, my mind and body have learned sitting at the table is a posture of vulnerability before God. Sitting in my favorite spot symbolizes my trust in the process and a willingness to see it through to the end no matter what the subject is. I can share about anything and everything with Him.

   Creating art is a process! That’s why God invented erasers.

  Creating space is intentional, purposeful. It is the place where will becomes something far more than desire. It becomes a calling, a refuge, and a sanctuary apart from this broken world.

  Without prayer, without God, there can be no true joy or peace or celebration.

  The Monks knew this as they meticulously drew God’s word at a table lit by candles. Their desk was their Sacred Space as they did Sacred and Holy work.

  Everything you create in your Sacred Space, even the “failures,” is Holy before a redeemer God. There’s no such thing as failures anyways. It’s merely a lesson and an opportunity to try again.

  I think of my children’s artwork before the school system smothered their individual creativity. The fridge was covered with it.

  Jesus has a really big fridge.

 

 

 

 

 

                            An Artist’s Prayer

 

Father, God in Heaven,

Creator of all things,

With humble heartfelt gratitude,

From a spirit blessed with wings,

I thank You for my creator soul,

And the blessings that it brings.

 

Help me, Lord, be a willing tool,

To surrender all my fear.

Help me, Father, be one with You,

To feel Your presence near.

Help me, Abba, step aside,

So Your voice is loud and clear.

                    

I know You said, “This is good”

As You viewed the world anew,

Help me, Lord, to not condemn,

The things I make for You.

Be it art or words or pretty dress,

Let my eyes be true.

 

Lord, I ask You clearly,

To help my talents grow.

To bless the brush, the pen, the pins,

So others may come to know

The Creator dwelling in our hearts

And the love You do bestow.

 

In Jesus most precious Name, AMEN!

 

 

 

 

 

Entering into the Art of Prayer

 

  All journeys start by beginning.

 

 

1.     Colour your thumb with a water based marker. Put your thumbprint at the top of a piece of paper. It is unique. There is no other like it in the universe. You are a work of art.

2.      What symbol of Christianity do you identify with the most? Attach a photo of it or draw it underneath the thumbprint.

You are a child of God.

3.     What brings you to this place before God? Is it hope? How would you picture hope? Cut and paste the image or draw it beneath the Christian symbol.

      You are welcome here.

4.     Is there something that represents the idea of home? Add it to the image list.

You belong here.

5.     Give thanks. You are now, officially, a prayer artist.

 

  I welcome you, beloved artists, to the world of visual prayer. It will go as far and as wide and as deep as you want or are willing to go. May God bless your journey!

Amen!

 About the Author

 

I have 3 children and am Nanasue to 4. I have been on my own since my early 40’s, at which time I met and came to know God, the Father.  On my journey, He has gently and tenderly unlocked my own artistic abilities. He taught me how art can be a prayer language; a language I needed to overcome many challenges. There have been wonderful and amazing discoveries of God’s love along the way. It’s how I have come to know His Son better than I ever thought possible.

I work part time as a peer support worker in the mental health field. God and art continue to help me overcome my own challenges of depression, anxiety and PTSD.

Art continues to be a huge part of my prayer life and finds various expressions every day. Painting, drawing, writing, woodworking and gardening are just a few of my creative outlets.

I am incredibly thankful to be able to share what God has taught me in the hopes that you, too, will find hidden treasures and God’s truth through the arts.

 Susan Starrett

April 23, 2023