Throughout Scripture, the writers tell us of God’s greatness and majesty. From the very first pages of the Bible, we see how God is the Creator and Ruler of the whole world—how everything and everyone belongs to Him. We’re left to ponder this wonderful, awe-inspiring God who is big and powerful and sovereign over the universe … and at the same time deeply loves and cares for each one of us and entrusts His world and everyone in it to us to care for and love as well.

The book of Psalms gives us language to express how thinking about the vastness of God and the world He has made leads us clearly and easily into a posture of worship. We read, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (Psalm 19:1); “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1); “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom” (Psalm 145:3); and so on. Reading psalms of praise to God makes our hearts leap in response—we too must worship this God who is so very worthy of all of our adoration.

There are so many ways to respond to God in worship … but when I think about painting—holding a brush in your hand and unleashing vibrant colors onto a canvas through graceful, sweeping motions—I imagine it as a small reflection of God’s work in creation. He paints the sky each morning and evening leaving grand swaths of color behind as the sun rises and sets. He intricately designs rainbows and stars to be the installations of beauty on His great sky canvas.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

•white paper (1 sheet per family member)
•permanent marker
•watercolor paint
•paintbrushes (1 per family member)

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1.This month, set aside a time as a family to read aloud a psalm that speaks of God’s greatness and how all the world is His. Psalm 145 is a great place to start. If you have little ones, you might decide to just pick a few verses to read instead of going through a whole chapter, either from Psalm 145 or from a few different psalms (like the ones listed previously).

2.Then, encourage each family member to choose a verse that stood out and turn it into an art piece. You might decide to have each person write her verse out with a permanent marker on a piece of white paper, or you might type up and print out the verses in a font you each like.

3.Once each person has a typed or written copy of his verse, use watercolors to paint all over the page, embracing art as a form of worship. (Just make sure your letters are dark enough to show through the watercolors!)

AS YOU PAINT, DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

•What stood out to you about the verse you chose?
•What does this verse tell you about God?
•How does it make you feel to know that everything and everyone in the whole world belongs to God?
•How does it make you feel to know that God has entrusted these same things and people to you to take care of?

When your art pieces are complete, hang them somewhere in your home where you’ll see them and marvel as you remember that the world is God’s and yet He entrusts His world to us.