Rediscover the Creator in YouSample

Reflection:

The words of this verse scream of the generous, wondrous, creative heart of God. He doesn’t just perform the duties of restoration and redemption at a bare minimum. Isaiah depicts the redemptive beauty and artistry as a headdress, an artistic and valuable creation that seems scandalously unnecessary – but reveals the heart of the Father as described in Luke 15.

Allow this verse’s poetic descriptions to speak to you of God’s incredible goodness and the wonder of the Gospel. The grace that Jesus offers is inherently creative, because it brings us into a new creation form (2 Corinthians 5:17) beyond where we were or what we deserve. He crowns us with a work of art (artists and fashionistas, rejoice!). He doesn’t just wipe away our tears, but provides a wellspring of goodness and joy. He doesn’t just refresh us or restore us physically, He clothes us in whole experiences of life in praise. Salvation and the work of Jesus establishes a new identity within us. As we experience this bounty, we cannot help but allow this to overflow into others. It’s interesting that the words depict pictures that can take time to prepare or to be fully experienced. Don’t be discouraged if the headdress is still being woven in some parts of life, or the planting of the Gospel’s work in your life is still growing into a stronger oak form.

God’s creative ingenuity and His heart for beauty can be seen everywhere we go. Why else is there such nuance and wonder around us, from the artful veins on leaves or in the human body? He didn’t have to make the world this nuanced, this detailed, this awe-provoking, this inspiring. The great cost of redemption, the sacrifice of Jesus, was not paid simply to bring you into heaven or eternity with Him, as wonderful as that is. He has created you to create in communion with Him, to explore, learn, discover, build, make, distribute, organize, color, redesign, nurture, experience Creation around you with similar nuance and delight.

The very process of receiving from God’s creative beauty and His redemptive works of grace, and then creating via family, via work, via art provides tangible examples of His Kingdom, that men and women would “see your good works give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The excellence and care with which you add paint to a canvas, complete financial reports, redirect your child to a healthier activity, or brainstorm a new solution for a societal challenge can all be part of God’s ongoing creative goodness flowing into the world.

Activation:

Where does the Lord want to stretch your understanding of His ability to do more than you have thought to create beauty within you and through you? Where does God want to encourage your heart today around a place where you’ve experienced ashes, mourning; fainting or heaviness? Take a moment to pray and journal, first celebrating and writing out two to three places in life where you can already see the creative outworkings and outflows of the Gospel. Then, write out and declare in faith His ability to do so with a few specific areas where that are still in process.