Kingdom over culture.
What it’s like to Paint the Father’s Heart.
It’s never boring, I can tell you that! Up to this point, it’s something different every time. He’s never had me paint something I was comfortable with, and I don’t think I’ve ever painted the same thing twice. The first time I painted I was absolutely terrified! I remember getting on my knees a lot during worship begging the Lord to show up and paint through me. It had been years since I felt comfortable painting and I never dreamed I would be painting in front of over 500 people not to mention being live-streamed.
In 2018 Holy Spirit moved our family to worship with the Upper Room in Dallas. It was through their Thursday night artist gathering that I met my friend and mentor, Camille Riggs. Camille introduced me to the concept of painting the heart of the Father. During those gatherings, I fell more in love with Jesus, and He began to heal old performance wounds centered around producing art.
Eventually, I became a Resident Artist at the Dallas Upper Room campus. My paintings are hung in our “bathroom gallery”, I’ve been a part of Kid’s Camp and I sometimes get to facilitate the artist gathering on Thursday nights, but my favorite is when I get to express His heart at worship events. I think it’s my favorite because I get to express His love to His kids. I don’t think a meeting goes by that I don’t get to tell someone how much Jesus loves them! Because art transcends language, age, race, and economics, it has a direct point of entry to the heart. Other art forms possess similar qualities, but our gift is unique in that it carries lasting bold images straight to the windows of the soul. The very same windows our Jesus told us to guard, and for good reason, our eyes have such a tremendous influence over our perceptions of ourselves, our world, and our Savior. Our gift isn’t better – it’s just different. It’s an equally important part of God’s design to reach the hearts of His people and communicate His love for them. I have such a cool job!
The role of a prophetic painter can be that of a scribe. We listen for and hear the voice of God. Then we record what we hear to give room for others to interact with it. Our function in the body is just as important as that of a musician, dancer, or dare I say, pastor. Some won’t in a place to hear the words, tune someone is offering, or understand the mean of the dance. Maybe they’re not ready to hear it expressed that way or it’s just not their style. Through art, God transcends all that and speaks directly to their hearts.
Prophetic Art isn’t about the art. It’s about communicating the Father’s heart in a way that lets others interact with it. Culture will judge art and artist alike by how closely their images resemble real-life things or by what colleges they attended or degrees they hold. Prophetic art is more about how effectively we can translate conversations we have with Holy Spirit. It’s about the love the Father wants to express to His children. When I paint, my goal is to give others a chance to connect more deeply with His love for them.
Hearing the Father’s heart has also given me compassion for those who don’t know Him or have walked away. Doors were opened in 2020 through a local retail outlet for me to encourage these folks by giving away small prophetic paintings containing encouragement from Him. I never meet these people, but through my art, they receive a small glimpse of God’s heart for them.
In a nutshell, this is my passion, this is the burden I carry for the kingdom. This is why I do what I do. Partnering with God, I bring His heart to His people as a form of worship.
In November of 2020, the Lord told me to prepare my buckets for rain. Not knowing how to do that, I tried a few ideas of my own. Of course, they all failed. In June of 2021, a dear friend suggested Modern Day Missions as a vehicle. Until I joined MD, the weight of supporting this ministry rested on the shoulders of my amazingly generous and talented husband’s teaching career. The Lord’s provision, of course, but we feel that in this new season, the Lord is wanting to bless others beyond what that salary can contribute. So here we are, opening this vehicle up to others, like you, who feel led to partner with us to spread the gospel through the art of worship.
By: Lisa Zealey
To learn more about Lisa and her ministry, click here.
