Being a prophetic painter is a unique experience as you can hear the Lord differently than others. I have found that there is more than one way or style to paint and hear what God has to say through the arts. The way we hear depends on our prophetic giftings.
“The Kings Gate” acrylic by Amy J Heath
Sometimes, I will be inspired by a verse I read during morning devotionals and begin to sketch out the idea. Sometimes, one word will pop into my head; I guess you could call it a God theme. Sometimes, I just start creating, and at the end of my painting session I know what the picture is about, or sometimes I do not. I have also concluded that I paint in tongues, and I sometimes must wait for the interpretation. Lately, I have begun with a general idea, but then feel and sense during the worship service that Holy Spirit is directing my paintbrush and color choice, so I go a different direction than what I had previously thought.
One afternoon, I decided to paint over a picture already on a canvas but decided not to choose white for a blank slate. Instead, I went to town, adding many beautiful colors and swirls. I had no subject in mind, so I left the canvas on its easel for a while to dry. I was preparing the canvas for the following Sunday’s worship service.
The next evening was the women’s night at Sonrise Christian Center. Christa Smith would speak that evening. Our worship activated God’s presence, and Diane Fink read a scripture from the Lord over us:
Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir. Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and your father’s house. Let the king be enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. Psalm 45:9-12 (NIV)
The scripture began to stir in my imagination–daughters going through a gate.
Worship ended, and the powerhouse Christa Smith began to speak. She taught from the Word about a woman you seldom hear much about, as only three verses pertain to her. Christa was able to unpack those three little verses in under an hour, captivating our attention, bringing the spirit of freedom to our group, and pulling down strongholds of grief in our region.
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Luke 2:36-38 (NIV).
Christa spoke of Anna’s choice as a young woman who had become a widow with no children. She could have remarried and let a man support her, as was the usual custom of the day, yet she chose to stay in the house of the Lord worshiping, fasting, and praying. God would reward Anna’s faithfulness by allowing her to see the Messiah with her own eyes. Christa saw the Pacific Northwest Women as a Troupe or Company of Annas. Again, her words inspired me to imagine what I would paint on my canvas. The next day, I spent three hours sketching on the canvas with a ruler and paint to get proper alignment which I would not have time to do during a worship service. I began to rough in the women and the perspective.
The paint sketch prepared for Sunday worship service.
I brought the painting again to a Sunday morning service a few weeks later and thought I was done at the end, but a friend pointed out a few things that I agreed to work on. This friend, Amber Cantu (a First Nation friend), also whispered to me, “Do you see the whirlwind?” “What whirlwind, said I?” She pointed down to the end of the path, and there it was–a golden whirlwind. “WOW!” I had not painted that there on purpose, but it was there. Pastor John Hammer had mentioned a whirlwind that morning, but I did not hear him as I was preoccupied with painting and distracted by friends greeting me.
The whirlwind at the end of the road pointed out by Amber Cantu.
Dr. Leif Hetland would speak that evening, so I brought my canvas to work on. As worship was wrapping up, Diane Fink had a word from the Lord about an amber Whirlwind. I thought “Oh my gosh, I am prophetic, not pathetic!”
Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Ezekiel 1:4 (NKJ)
Later, at the end of the prayer time, I asked everyone if they wanted to see my whirlwind. I was so excited I showed Dr. Dan Hammer and was bold enough to take Dr. Leif by the hand and asked, “Do you want to see the whirlwind in my painting?” When I told people Amber had pointed the whirlwind out to me that very morning, someone laughed and said, “Hey, the person who pointed out the whirlwind is named Amber!” Although my whirlwind was more gold, my friend’s name completed the prophetic part of the painting. This just blessed my heart that Father God was showing me that he was in my painting and directed my hand.
The other unique part of this painting is what the women are wearing. As I painted them one by one, I realized that their cloaks look very much like the ribbon skirts that Native Americans wear. I know because I was given one for my birthday. Native Americans are especially important to our land as the First Nations people, and to have my friend Amber there encouraging me and pointing out aspects of my painting was a total God thing. I did not intentionally paint ribbon skirts just like I did not set out to paint a whirlwind or paint one quickly to match a word; it was just there.
However, God has gifted you prophetically to put him on display, whether as an artist, a writer, an exhorter, etc., allow him to stir up your gifts, bringing honor and glory to him as he blesses his children through you.
Amber Cantu in her Native American ribbon skirt regalia designed and created by her mother Jennifer Campbell.
CLICK Below to watch the inspiring worship night with Christa Smith!!
CLICK the Link below to worship and hear Diane Finks Whirlwind word directly after the worship.
https://www.facebook.com/iSonrise/videos/732357929006114
Amy J. Heath (Sonrise Magazine Art Director, Magazine Manager, and author) grew up in Everett, Washington, and graduated from Mariner High School. She is the author of Creative Heart, a 31-day devotional inviting you to join her journey with Father God in a creative way. Each day, the devotional features a painting with thoughts Amy shared with God about the meaning of the picture. The next page invites you to write or draw the inspiration you gathered while reading and viewing the paintings and scripture provided. The goal of this book is to help you creatively express your thoughts. It is currently available in the Sonrise bookstore.
Amy is also an assistant preschool teacher at Sonrise Christian Preschool where she encourages 3–5-year-olds to express themselves creatively. You can reach Amy at sonriseeditors@gmail.com
Leave a Reply