Dangerous Prayers for Artists

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Dangerous prayers are risky and life-stretching." - Gary Rohrmayer

Have you ever even considered that you're called to pray over your art?

I hadn't. As a Christian, I pray for any number of things; family, finances, my personal faith journey. But my art? No. Why would I?

Our church walked through a sermon series early this year that asked us to consider four bold, transforming prayers:

Search me. Break me. Use me. Send me.

As I've had time to reflect since then, I can’t stop thinking about how these apply to artists—and how they might radically change not just what we create, but why and how we create.

4 Dangerous Prayers

1. Search Me: The Prayer of Surrendered Honesty

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.” – Psalm 139:23

Every artist's work is shaped by our thoughts, our pain, our perspective. But how often do we stop and ask God to search what’s in our hearts before we put it on the canvas? If you're like me, the answer is probably...never.

This prayer is dangerous because it invites God to dig into the hidden places—our insecurities, ambitions, jealousy, fear. It invites Him to show us the things we don't even see. Before we ever pick up a pencil or brush, we should ask: Lord, what’s in me that needs to be purified before it spills into my art?

Because the truth is:

Whatever overflows from our heart will show up in our work.

2. Break Me: The Prayer of Holy Refining

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” – Psalm 51:17

No one likes to be broken. But for an artist—someone who pours themselves into their craft—this prayer is extremely vulnerable. To ask God to break us is to ask Him to strip away everything that competes with His glory: self-reliance, ego, control, pride.

This doesn’t mean we become crushed or worthless, . It means we are refined—humbled, softened, reshaped into vessels that can better carry His majesty.

And here's the irony:

Sometimes, our most impactful work doesn’t come from our polished strength, but from our holy weakness.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." – 2 Corinthians 12:9-11

3. Use Me: The Prayer of Availability

This is the prayer of the willing heart: Use me, God. However You want. Wherever You want. With whatever gifts You’ve given me.

For artists, this means being available—not just for gallery shows or commissions, the things that society tells us artists should aspire to—but for Kingdom work. It means creating not to be seen, but to make God seen.

It may mean donating a piece, mentoring a younger artist, showing up at a community center, or painting live at a worship night - humbler events, perhaps, but eternal ones. It may not always be glamorous. But if we mean it when we say use me, we’ll find ourselves stepping into places we never expected—and being deeply fulfilled when we do.

4. Send Me: The Prayer of Purposeful Mission

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” – Isaiah 6:8

This prayer takes it one step further.

'Search me' purifies our heart.

'Break me' prepares our character.

'Use me' surrenders our will.

But 'Send me' says: I will go.

As artists, we are often told to “find our voice” and “build our platform.” But what if the Spirit is asking instead:

Will you go where I send you, even if it’s small? Even if it’s unseen? Even if it’s uncomfortable?

This is the very sermon, the very prayer, the very question God asked me. I was on a promising path to expand my career, to reach for the cultural 'stars', to pursue financial stability and to spread my name as an artist. And then, He asked me to do this: to donate, rather than sell. To magnify God's presence, even if my name is forgotten. To provide my art to those who could never afford it, rather than seeking out the collectors and galleries.

I won't lie to you: there are still days I struggle with this calling. My nature wants to listen to the siren call of culture, to chase fame and fortune. I keep clinging to the calling I believe God's laid on my heart, and the vision behind it:

That art has the power to cross boundaries and break barriers. And God may want to use my art - and yours - as a vessel in places we never imagined.

Will you go?

"He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.'" - Mark 16:15