[special_heading title=”Draw Near to Justice” subtitle=”Joyful Noise by Lauren Wright Pittman” separator=”yes”]
Read
Isaiah 12:2-6
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid,
for the Lord God[a] is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4 And you will say in that day:
Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name;
make known his deeds among the nations;
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5 Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
let this be known[b] in all the earth.
6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal[c] Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
From the Artist
When was the last time you sang so loudly you lost your voice? What does it feel like to use the full capacity of your vocal chords? Have you ever joined your voice so loudly with a crowd that you couldn’t hear which voice belonged to you?
This prophetic song exudes joy. This song calls for more singing and shouting. It invites a resounding noise to build and reverberate to the ends of the earth.
What comes to mind most presently for me in response to this text is the sound of shouting in the streets, of voices crying out and chanting in unison for justice. The idea of organized, collective protests is that the protestors’ voices will be heard and create awareness and a ripple effect of change. God has done great things and we must make God’s movement known among the nations, but we must do this with our own hands, our own feet, and our own voices. This shouting and singing is the sound of an active response to God’s greatness in the pursuit of justice. This is a joyful noise.
The image that immediately came to mind for me in creating this mandala was the image of a lighthouse in the midst of a turbulent sea. As I continued to draw, those turbulent waters shifted to become the wells of salvation. Hands are drawing from the well and pointing to the greatness of God as the light from the lighthouses radiates to the ends of the earth.
Draw Near to God in Prayer
In quiet contemplation, look at the mandala above, reflecting on how the imagery illuminates what you find in the scripture and artist’s statement. Conclude with a silent or spoken prayer to God.
Lauren Wright Pittman | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
