God’s Works of Art Point to Him

Last updated on: June 5, 2017 at 8:30 am by Randy Alcorn

God’s Works of Art Point to Him 2017-06-02T14:30:33-08:00 Randy Alcorn

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

art-gallery-monalisa

If you go to an art gallery, you can watch people sit for hours staring at a single great work of art. They’ve seen it and pondered it before, perhaps many times, for dozens or even hundreds of hours. The human artist unleashed his or her creative instincts on a canvas, for months—if not years—of their lives. The devotees of the painting find it inexhaustible and are able to see or sense something new in the painting each time they ponder it.

If this seemingly inexhaustible beauty is true of the products of human hands, how much more true is it of God’s hands?

view-lake-canada If people can stare tirelessly at a represented field of flowers created by Monet, how might we stare more intently at an actual field of flowers created by God? If we might endlessly ponder an artist’s rendition of a person, such as the Mona Lisa, shouldn’t we ponder all the more, and benefit from pondering, the wonder in the face of real people we see daily? And in particular, the marvelous person and work of Christ? If the words of Shakespeare can be read and reread with fresh understanding, how much more should the words of God yield new treasures of insights?

The music lover must turn on the music and listen. The nature lover and art lover must go out to nature or to an art gallery to contemplate their favorite beauties and discover new ones. So the Christ-lover must go to God’s Word and to God’s world to celebrate old insights and cultivate new ones.

Nature is secondary, a work of God and therefore one step from God, the primary. The work of a human being is tertiary, two steps from God who created the person, who created the art. If the secondary and tertiary can be so wondrous, how much more wondrous is the God who is the source of all secondary beauty, and is Himself the cosmic center of all primary beauty?

child-read-bible Consider this the next time you are tempted to skip going to the Bible and prayer and to contemplate God, in order to watch television or play a game or check email or social media: Why turn away from the headwaters of ultimate wonder and beauty to drink from the trickles of muddy water so far from the Source?

Sure, there’s a place for games and social media, and we may (I do) have a duty to check our email. But let’s put first things first. This will not only acknowledge the primacy of our great God and Savior, but also put all secondary things in their proper place.

Speaking of art, from time to time I go back to this creative conveyance of the Gospel from rapper Propaganda.

Photos: Unsplash; Propanda photo

Christian Life

art

beauty

Previous Post

June 1, 2017

God Owns Our Business: Alan and Katherine Barnhart’s Story of Stewardship

Next Post

June 8, 2017 Ellery’s Prayer, Childlike Faith, and Hobbies on the New Earth

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category About Me Animals Books Books and Resources Christ Christian Life Christians Past and Present Church Creation Culture and Worldview Doctrine and Theology Eternal Perspective Ministries Fun Grace and Truth Grief Happiness Heaven Marriage and Family Missions Money and Giving Persecuted Church Politics Prayer Prolife Salvation Sexual Purity Sovereignty and Free Will Suffering and Evil Uncategorized Writing

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz