Our Artisan God

A Reflection for Monday, March 30 by Reverend Charlene Rotvold 

Lectionary reading for 03/20/2026: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11

Selected passage: Psalm 36:5-11

Read

Psalm 36:5-11

5 Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;

    your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,

    your justice like the ocean depths.

You care for people and animals alike, O Lord.

7     How precious is your unfailing love, O God!

All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

8 You feed them from the abundance of your own house,

    letting them drink from your river of delights.

9 For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.

10 Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;

    give justice to those with honest hearts.

11 Don’t let the proud trample me or the wicked push me around.

Reflect

Music has long been a key venue where I meet with God. Learning His character, praising His name, and praying in the night are light and joyful tasks when put to music. Songs I learned as a child still come to mind, often, as I go about my day, and I’m grateful to carry His Word with me in such beautiful and creative ways. 

Such is my response to Psalm 36. With a smile on my face I can hear the musicians play, and I find myself humming along (or singing out loud) as I read this passage. 

Your love, oh Lord

  Reaches to the heavens

      Your faithfulness stretches to the sky

        Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains

            Your justice flows like the ocean's tide. 

So goes the opening line of Your Love O Lord, by Third Day, mirroring verses 5 and 6. From the Psalmist’s reed pen to the poet’s mind to the musical arc to my welcoming heart.

God’s Word provides a limitless abundance of lyrics just waiting for a tune, longing to be captured by poets and artists, inviting us to worship and remember with instrument or voice. I wonder how many songs have been written using God’s Word as lyrical text or inspiration. Wouldn’t that be an amazing research project? I love that our God is a God of music, devoting an entire book of Scripture to songs. Oh how I long to sing the Psalms as they were written to be sung. Can you even imagine? But the words, written or sung, aren’t meant to be the end. They are means to an end, words meant to draw us to the Living Word. To the unfailing love of our God. To God’s faithfulness, righteousness, and justice, all of which extend beyond what our senses can hold. We are reminded that our God cares for us (and for my sweet puppy, v. 6) and offers us the most intimate of shelters. He is food and drink, life and light, and He notices and values the raw honesty we bring to His loving presence. He is indeed: 

Worthy of every song we could ever sing

  Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring

      Worthy of every breath we could ever breathe

        We live for You, oh, we live for You. 

Build My Life, by Pat Barrett

Respond

Each Lenten season we’re invited to consider something new to reflect on as we respond to God’s love for us, dust though we are - a word or thought or book or practice intended to draw us nearer to the presence of God. New may sound like silence. New may taste like fasting. New may act like time or sacrifice or prayer. And sometimes what is new involves the arts: music, painting, poetry, story. W. Phillip Keller, in his thoughtful little book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, refers to God the Son as God the artisan, the artist, who brought into being all that had been formulated in His Father’s mind (p. 16). What a lovely image this is. While the Word of God certainly stands alone and is able to affect us deeply all by itself, my heart sometimes needs the work of an artisan to move me “further up and further in” (from The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis). 

In the case of today’s text, a song does just that. My prayer is that God as artisan will lead you to connect with and live with His Word in fresh ways this Lenten season, and beyond.

Rest

Father God, author of all that exists, Lord Jesus, artisan and bringer into being, Holy Spirit, agent who brings understanding, you are everything. Food and drink, life and light and life, love and faithfulness, justice and righteousness. Draw us nearer to you in creative and unexpected ways. Surprise us with your goodness, your nearness, yourself. Amen.

About the Author

Char serves as the Care & Connect Pastor at Faith Covenant Church in Burnsville, MN. She’s married to Kirk, mom to Kyle & Erika, and mom-in-law to Emma. Aside from pastoring, Char is a trained coach and spiritual director within the ECC. In her free time, she’s often found with her nose in a book, outside running or cross country skiing, camping in the BWCA, or enjoying time with her family and friends.