I am going through 100 days of devotions in the book "The God Ask" and Day 3 has really blessed me today. The passage is Exodus 25 and 35:21. I ended up reading 25-35 and I am very thankful.
Here is what is going on: God is giving Moses the details of what to build for the Tabernacle. He is giving him the specific demintions of the mery seat, the ark of the covenant, the table for the bread of presence and the lampstand. (and more!) After these instructions, he calls out two guys, Bezalel and Oholiab, and says this about them:
To Bezalel: "he has filled him with divine spirit, with skill, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kinf of craft."
To Oholihab and Bezalel: "He has filled them with skill to do every kind of work done by an artisan or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen, or by a weaver- by any sort of artisan or skilled designer."
Then it goes on to tell about all the awesome stuff that they made for the Lord. (which I will not recap because you should go read it :P)
Here is why this has blessed me today. As I have shared with my friends and new supporters, God has been teaching me recently (maybe more like a couple of years now that I think about it) that he can do amazing things through the arts. He can teach people about himself and reveal new things about himself through ways that are not typical of the church setting. Take art, photography, digital media, videography, dance... they are all skills given to people to express the heart of God.
And guess what? This is not a new concept. Take Exodus 25-35 for example. God gave these men the skills of an artisan to help complete something major in the old testament!
"So what if I am not artistic?" you say. Well I know that God has given you some ability to use for his glory. Use this time in life to discover what it is, and then use it. Cultivate it. Share it. Teach it.
God has given me a heart for the arts and to use the arts to bring people to himself.
Let me never be confident that I am the creater of my skills. God is the ultimate desginer and giver of good gifts.
Let us be like Moses and say, "Show me your glory, I pray." (Ex 33:18) And then wait in expectation for the Lord to move.
-Kelsey