How Creativity Can Fuel Your Worship
God the Creator
The Bible opens with the story of creation.
We watch God’s creation dance across the pages of Genesis as he uses just his voice to form the heavens and earth. He forms them and fills them with many good and beautiful things. He formed man from the dust, creating us in his very likeness (Gen. 1:27, Gen. 2:7). Finally, with his breath, he fills man with life. The creation narrative reaches its crescendo with the creation of man and woman. Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.” God looks at his children as the overseers of all he made, the harmony of his creation existing and working together, and he calls it all very good. For we are his masterpiece, made in his image, imago Dei (Eph. 2:10).
ESV Single Column Journaling Bible®, Hosanna Revival Series
With a beautiful cover design and helpful journaling tools, the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible, Hosanna Revival Series encourages believers to capture notes, prayers, or personal reflections alongside Scripture.
This thread of creating and making then continues throughout the pages of Scripture. Throughout Jesus’s ministry on earth, he teaches us to make peace and bear fruit, and with his final commission he charges us to make disciples (Matt. 5:9, Matt. 28:19; John 15:5). Revelation shows us the back of God’s tapestry. We cannot always make sense of the thousands of threads we see tangled together, but one day we will stand in front of the completed tapestry and discover that he has made all things new (Rev. 21:5).
As we dwell in God’s word, we see creativity at the heart of God’s character and as a way he consistently expresses his love. What if creativity is wired into our character as well? If God created us in his likeness, wouldn’t he make us with creative minds and hands? What if engaging in creativity could draw us into deeper worship of our Creator God?
God has always been making something new, from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18), and he invites us to do the same.
Creativity: A Journey through Scripture
We don’t have to look far into Scripture to see that God’s creativity knows no bounds. In the complex and beautiful word of God, we see a strategic, beautiful, and creative plan for redemption of all mankind unfolding on every page.
As we exalt God the Creator, we can’t help but notice the things he made. Everything good is a result of his handiwork. The wonders and marvels of the things he has made go on and on; the earth is full of his creation and his glory (Ps. 104:24; Isa. 6:3).
We see creative selections of ordinary men and women to participate in that plan, working as a part of his masterful, creative will—people like fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, the lonely, the barren, the lepers.
We see hundreds of cross-references in book after book of the Bible where God uses the most impressive piece of literature of all time to support itself and prove himself to a doubtful reader.
We see his unexpected, creative entrance, coming as a baby instead of a warrior king to save the lost.
“Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,” we see Jesus on the cross (Isa. 53:7), the perfect creative parallel to the spotless lambs God had required for the forgiveness of sins for hundreds of years—yet his sacrifice was once and for all (Heb. 10:10–18).
The story of the Bible is more complex and beautiful than the best thought-out, ten-part novel series from the most creative author you know.
As we seek to know God through his own creativity, we experience the call to join him in the act of creativity.
Your Call to Co-create
God’s creation and strategy and beauty of the things he makes are limitless. Most beautiful of all is his creation of you—made in his image, made to participate in his creativity.
In Ephesians 4:1, Paul urges us to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” When we live life in alignment with the things for which we were created, we experience God and learn about his character.
For example:
He made us to be in relationship with one another. You experience the love of God by living in community.
He made us to commune with him. When you spend time in his word and prayer, you know him more intimately and understand more of the depth of his character.
God, the first and most excellent creative being, made us in his own image. The ability to make something beautiful is in your blood. You are fearfully and wonderfully made and called to fearfully and wonderfully make (Ps. 139:14).
For some, that call might feel easy or natural. For others, “creative” might be the last word you’d use to describe yourself. I hope you’ve seen enough examples in the word to believe that “creative” is an attribute of God and to consider that he might have made you that way too.
What if engaging in creativity could draw us into deeper worship of our Creator God?
To the self-proclaimed noncreative:
For a moment, broaden your understanding of what it means to create. Think beyond drawing and sculpting and writing. Challenge yourself to see the things you’ve made that you’re proud of through a new lens.
Perhaps it’s children. Co-creating with the Creator of the universe to bring life to earth. Maybe you made a cake that your family loved—ugly, but delicious. Or a home that feels warm and inviting. A garden of flowers or a ripe tomato on your first tomato plant.
Maybe it’s a detailed spreadsheet of data that will lead your team to success. Or a pitch deck that will strategically guide its recipients to understand a great need. An engineered structure that will house many or fulfill a purpose.
It could be an outfit you’re excited about. Straight lines cut into your lawn. A movie night with every detail planned out intentionally.
I could go on. The challenge here is to reframe your mind to see that when the Creator made you, he didn’t choose to leave “creativity” off of your skill list. If you’re made by God, you were created to create. Just as God used many different “mediums” when he created the world (his voice, dust, his breath), we, in our uniqueness, will use different mediums to create. Reframe the things you make with your hands or mind to be an act of worship, creating alongside God for the glory of his kingdom.
To the creative:
What a gift it is to spend your days and your active mind dreaming up things to make and do in the name of creativity! The same offer to reframe is available to you. Whether you eat or drink, let it all be for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
If you’re creating “in Jesus’s name,” you might feel pressured to get something just right or to have it be deeply meaningful. Set yourself free from that expectation. There’s nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9), and every act of creation can be an act of worship. For example, you don’t have to paint a picture of a cross to glorify God. The topic of your poetry doesn’t have to be from the Bible directly to point people to his glory. If you set your mind on things above and act in the gifting he gave you, Christ will be glorified. Whether you’re making music, art, food, or words, take these words from Jesus himself to heart: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden . . . . Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14–16).
Making Disciples and All Things New
The call to create finds great purpose when aligned with the Great Commission. Jesus charged us to go and make disciples of all nations. The work of our hands and minds can convene under that lofty mission, pointing the world to who Jesus is and the hope of eternity.
While we wait for eternal glory revealed, let us keep watch for the work of creation still unfolding. From breathtaking nature to God’s character revealed in our friends, look for the ways that God hasn’t stopped creating. He made you, he has made your heart his home, and he is making you new from one degree of glory to another. The potter’s careful hands have never left your side. Let all of this creation lead you to worship!
Katie Guiliano is the founder of Hosanna Revival, the team behind the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible, Hosanna Revival Series.
Related Articles
10 Key Bible Verses on Creation
Jesus is not only the agent of creation but is also the goal of creation, for everything was created by him and for him, that is, for his honor and praise.
Why Is Creation So Important for Understanding the Bible?
Creation is an important and recurring theme throughout Scripture, because the God who creates is also the God who redeems.
Podcast: Faith, Family, and the Creative Life (Ruth Chou Simons)
Ruth Chou Simons discusses her life as an artist, sharing her passion for creating beautiful pieces of art that reflect the beauty of our Creator.
Podcast: How Journaling Could Reinvigorate Your Prayer Life (Erika Allen)
Erika Allen talks about the struggles of consistent prayer, how journaling can help us with that, and what God really thinks about our baby steps towards him.
