An Artist's Prayer

Come, Holy Spirit, Creator and Artist, set my heart afire with Your Love and renew in me the awe of Your Beauty. Open my heart, my mind, my hands, my whole self to give continual thanks and praise for the majesty of Your Creation and the matchless artistry of Your loving work in every human heart. Your boundless mercy has granted us a spark of Your infinite creativity – protect and nurture that spark in me, direct it always. Direct the deep desires and stirrings in my heart to be always fixed first on You, my sight and perception to see Your creation with new depth, honesty, and insight, and every action of my art to bear authentic witness to reality and to Your presence there. Grant fruit to the work of my hands, bless my efforts that the expression of my vision may be good, true, and beautiful. Protect me from excessive perfectionism and discouragement and my work from insipidity, naivete, and hopelessness. Grant that I may be always drawn first by love of the thing I tell, not by love of my own telling. Let all that I do be for Your glory and not my own and guide my work to be a witness that draws many hearts to awe and love of You, the Great Artist.