The Heart of Asaph: Fathering the Artists

I've been an artist and a worshipper my whole life. Within the last 5 years, I've become a dad. It's only now that I've really begun to sense God's heart for raising up a generation of artists who have fully given themselves to the purposes of God in their generation. Artists maybe more than any other group of people are longing for fathers and mothers... people to love them, pour into them, encourage them and to pull out of them the destiny God's placed on their life.

The Lord woke me up a few nights ago 2 times at around 3:10 am with the verse to a Jason Upton song running through my mind "Raise up an army, raise up an army, raise up an army like Joel saw". I finally got the message and went to see what the Lord wanted to say. Joel 3:9 says "Get ready for war! Call out your best warriors! Let all your fighting men advance for the attack! Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears. Train even your weaklings to be warriors." I sensed the Lord showing me that a significant portion of the calling on my life is to raise up an army of artists - prophetic artists - who worship God with their life and allow Him to flow through their art. I see artists who desire a powerful manifestation of the power and presence of God through their art. We're to gather our best 'warrior-artists' and even those who are 'weaklings' and train them together. It's the whole thing about "turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers'. As we raise up artists, we need to bring those who are already soaring alongside those who are just beginning and let the impartation begin! Good musicians attract good musicians. You get better at your craft when you're around people who are where you want to be.

Artists are funny. I know, I've been one my whole life. We can be emotional, hard to get along with, up and down, touchy... but when we allow the Lord to come in and redeem the sensitivities that he's created us with, we can touch his heart like few others can. The very sensitivity the enemy wants to exploit is the sensitivity Jesus wants to redeem for His purposes, to hear His voice, to communicate His love to the world.

We are in a war - a spiritual battle - where we battle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities - and the arts is a major battleground. The Church for too long has abandoned our post in this mountain of influence. I believe as the restoration of the arts comes back to the Church, it will usher in a powerful move of the Holy Spirit, allowing the Glory of God to invade the earth in a way that will touch the deepest places of the hearts of men and women. Is it a movie, a painting, a song, a poem or book... is it a quilt designed and sewn through prophetic inspiration? Who knows. All I know is that God is a God of redemption and invasion. He wants to take those things that he's given us love for and use them to pour out his love and Glory through to touch the world.

Can you see it? Can you see a generation of prophetic artists rising up? Can you see an art show where people come and are overwhelmed with the power and presence of God - receiving healing and deliverance just by coming into contact with Holy Spirit inspired art - a painting that touches them - a song that unlocks their heart - a sculpture that draws them to their knees in awe of Jesus?

God has given me a heart for artists - the heart of Asaph - to raise up worshippers who minister skillfully before the Lord, who Love Him and each other deeply -who are sold out to His purposes in our generation - who desire to see His Glory manifested in the earth. Release the artists Lord!