Praying In Pictures

Praying in Pictures

Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have! Genesis 15:5

GOD HAD TOLD ABRAHAM OF HIS PROMISE, but words don’t always capture the fullness of a thought. So he gave Abraham an illustration, a metaphor of what he wanted to do. He expressed himself visually.

This happens a lot in Scripture. For all its words, the Bible is extremely visual—filled with images, visions, parables, and pictures that express what God is doing far better than words can. Prophets often looked to “see” what God was saying (literal translations of Habakkuk 2:1 and Revelation 1:12, for example). They entered into varying degrees of vision to understand his direction and ways. They used metaphors to communicate his truth to people who just weren’t getting it. They learned the language of God.

We need to learn God’s language too, and sometimes it consists of pictures. We often envision some future scenario—a job opportunity, a diagnosis, a longed-for child, the resolution to a complicated problem—and then try to translate that image into words when we pray. But instead of fumbling around with explanations, why not present the picture to God, who speaks that language and knows our hearts? Prayer is not dependent on the right words; we don’t have to explain everything to the God who knows our hearts. We can mentally draw the picture and pray it to him. “Lord, do you see this vision I have? That’s what I’m asking for.” There’s nothing wrong with communicating with God the same way he often communicates with us. It’s powerful.

The faith of a child speaks this way too. When a budding artist brings a scrawled picture of . . . well, something . . . to his or her parents and says, “I made this for you!” there’s a message in it—a heart of love, a desire to please, a sign of interests, perhaps even a hoped-for gift. If you want to have the faith of a child, this is a great way to express it. When words fail—and sometimes even when they don’t—pray in pictures. The God who sees knows just what to do in response.

Every happening, great and small, is a parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get the message.