C.S. Lewis once said, “We sit down before a picture in order to have something done to us, not that we may do things with it. The first demand any work of art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive.”
It is the painting that tells the story, not the viewer. Imagine someone bringing paint and a brush along to the St. Louis Art Museum and altering Monet’s “Water Lillies” masterpiece to suit his or her fancy! To the contrary, benches are placed far from the painting so the observer can simply sit and take in the message of the artwork.
Our approach to God, his revelation through Scripture, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit is also first one of surrender. God demands that we look, listen and receive. In order for the message we receive to be the message of God, we must give way to the voice of the Master Artist as he shows us who he is and how he wants to use us for his glory.