God the Creator
Isabell is the daughter of Sarah Bowling and the granddaughter of Marilyn Hickey. She graduated from Oral Roberts University with her bachelors in Historical and Philosophical Theology and received the award for Theology Student of the Year upon graduation.
She is excited for what this next season brings and is looking forward to learning and growing under the tutelage of her mother and grandmother.
She will be presenting a message God put on her heart about God as the Creator.
Instruments (I)
by Madeline L’Engle
The sky is strung with glory.
Light threads from star to star
from sun to sun
a living harp.
I rejoice, I sing, I leap upwards to play.
The music is in light.
My fingers pluck the vibrant strings;
the notes pulse, throb, in exultant harmony;
I beat my wings against the strands
that reach across the galaxies
I play
NO
It is not I who play
it is the music
the music plays itself
is played
plays me
small part of an innumerable
innumerable
orchestra.
I am flung from note to note
impaled on melody
my wings are caught on throbbing filaments of light
the wild cords cut my pinions
my arms are outstretched
are bound by ropes of counterpoint
I am cross-eagled on the singing that is strung
from pulsing star
to flaming sun
to
I burn in a blaze of song.
If you have never read this poem, I encourage you to go back and read it again. Madeline L’Engle was an author who famously wrote A Wrinkle in Time. Less famously, she wrote many theological treatises on art, creativity, and the incarnation of Christ. Although she is different, she is one of my favorite authors, especially for her understanding of God as Creator.
If we are truly made in the image of God, we, too, are creators. What does this mean? Well, it really depends on who you are. I am a storyteller. I love to create little stories and let my imagination run rampant. Perhaps you like to sing or to paint. Maybe you like to write as well. Maybe you are creative in how you drive or how you wire a house’s electricity. No matter what, a core factor in what defines a creator, or “creative” if you prefer, is that something comes from your unique experience—something that only you thought of, that adds significance to your life, simply by existing. I don’t let everyone read every story I’ve ever written because I don’t write to be read; I write because I am a writer. The story is a by-product of who I am.
If God is Creator, Creation itself is a by-product of who He is. But, have you ever thought about the infinite expanse that is Creation? God made music, art, writing, good food, sunsets, every atom, and every galaxy. Stay with me as we talk about this poem.
In this poem, the author begins by establishing herself as a creator. She is given her tool (instrument) and it’s the sky. She is a musician who is loving her creativity. But then, our Icarus musician tries to go outside of what she has been given. To her surprise, there is already a symphony at work, much bigger than she, and she is caught in this eternal melody which is her demise. But her demise isn’t a tragedy—it is her joining into the everlasting song.
If this sounds familiar, you’re right. In Job, when God is questioning him about his place in Creation, He asks if Job knows when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7). Our poem is pulled from this section of Job, and it serves to remind every earthly creator of their place.
We are called to be like God, but not God. Those of us who are creatives, who take pride in the works of our hands, must remember that there is a greater thing at work. Our contribution to Creation is significant, only in that God says it is so. His opinion, His validation, is the only one that matters, since it is the only one that satisfies. When the Father blesses Jesus in Matthew 25:23, He doesn’t say “Well done good and faithful partner.” He says, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We are His servants, not equals. Scripture tells us that He takes joy in us (Psalm 149:4), so our servitude isn’t one of burden or heaviness; it is one of joy and celebration. It is our joy to create for Him, as it is His joy in our creating.
When I talked above about how what we create is a by-product of who we are, this gives us a choice. We are going to make something in our lives, this is simply a fact. People make things: art, homes, food, stories, plumbing systems, etc. Wouldn’t you rather take your creation process and serve the Lord with it, submitting your creation to Him? You could be a part of a whole, glorious symphony of Creation, simply by knowing that what you do is only significant with Him, and that He finds what you do very significant.