Voice of an Artist
Written by Terry Tamashiro Harris
What limits you? Is it your habits? Your thinking? Your extenuating circumstances? Whatever it is, is it bigger than God? No? Then prepare yourself to expand as you humble yourself before God. And then ask Him to bless you. Contrary to what many may have thought (including yours truly), and in spite of the fear placed on us about buying into a prosperity gospel, it’s not wrong to ask for blessing. We are God’s vessels on this earth. His voice in this earth. We have a job to do as artists, and we need the blessing of our Father or it’s going to be futile and just more noise pumping into the world.
So let me say it again: It’s not wrong to ask for blessing … but it is important to ask from the right position and with the right motivation. Jabez was honorable, we are told in verse 9, and so he asked with honorable intentions. With the right heart motivation, seeking God’s glory, not our own, God’s fame, not our own, the expansion of God’s influence, not our own, our requests may be granted as Jabez’s were.
Where do we begin? With an honorable, humble, and contrite heart. A heart that is purified … and expectant.
Too many artists today are looking to repeat what others are finding “success” in. That’s not art. That’s imitation. So let’s clean out the things of the world that are filling our hearts and minds. Clear out the junk and give God space to bless you. And then, stop taking in more junk. Be careful what you allow in through your eyes, through your ears, through all of your senses. Let your senses be a gatekeeper to what shapes your soul. The old saying from the poster in your third-grade teacher’s classroom is true: What goes in must come out. The world is craving hope, purity, beauty, originality. Things of God. So let’s keep our hearts pure in order for those things to flow out from us.
Ready? Let’s ask.
Oh, Father, that you would bless me and expand my influence–not for my sake, but for Yours, and for the people You long to reach. Give me Your heart for the world. A pure heart. So that out of it may flow just what the world needs to hear. Please be with me in all that I do. If I do it on my own, it won’t last. It won’t satisfy. The world needs more of You, not more of the same. So please go with me. Flow through me. The world has plenty of trouble and pain. Please keep me from all trouble and pain, so that I can be the light of a life held by You. And may You receive all the glory. All the honor. And all the praise. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
For Further Study
The prayer of Jabez is a treasure trove. The inspired writer of 1 Chronicles paused in the middle of a long list of recorded lineage, to single out Jabez. And in these few sentences, there is so much we can learn. Below are links to some solid resources that may literally change the trajectory of your life.
The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson and David Kopp; YouTube Embassy City, Tim Ross – Make Room, Oct 10, 2021
