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Find our muse
In Greek mythology, muses were goddesses who inspired people in literature, art and science. Because of the story of the nine muses, people kept looking back at them, hoping for help in their creative endeavors. In modern times, British author Robert Graves wrote novels on mythology and the resurgent popular concept of muses. Writers, singers and dancers started calling muses for help and inspiration. It is doubtful if anyone really believed in the Greek goddesses. However, many artists, lovers and celebrities consider them as their muses.
Where does inspiration really come from?
The real meaning of the word to inspire means breathe in something or blow, A divine or supernatural being conveys an idea or truth and breathes or blows it into a person. When Christians speak of being inspired, they believe that they have received an idea or thought from God. They then assume that their writing and speaking is inspired by God and that he guides them in their ideas and abilities.
Because creativity comes from God, we could call Him our muse. The Holy Spirit is the one who guides, guides and inspires us. He takes us from our state of delusion and leads us into the truth of Jesus who is the life, the truth and the way. If he hadn't breathed the Father's life into us, we would be life-less in a certain way. He enlivens us with his energy and fills us with the sparkle of his richness of thought. The act of creation is a part of God himself that he has given us to help us through life and to enrich our lives. It is part of that life in abundance that we have in John 10,10 is promised. Our creativity allows us to do many things that are not only necessary, like building houses and machines, but it also provides us with the arts. The urge, maybe even the desire to create something, is deeply anchored in us and is the engine behind most of our activities.
How can we make God our muse, giving us the direction and inspiration we need and we long for? We could start by practicing the listening prayer. Most people are familiar with the usual way of prayer: talking to God, describing our problems and concerns, thanking and honoring Him, asking for other people and simply sharing our thoughts. Listening prayer requires a little more discipline because it needs silence. It is difficult to be quiet during prayer because we often feel the need to say something. Silence can be unpleasant: our thoughts wander in other directions, we get distracted, and because we can not audibly hear God's voice, we assume that he does not communicate with us.
To be silent before God during prayer takes time and practice. As a beginning, one can direct a text from the Bible or a devotional book reading and then focus on God and ask him to direct and direct his own thoughts. When you feel the desire to speak, remember that you wanted to hear and not talk. Dallas Willard wrote an inspirational book called Hearing God that explains in detail how to hear it. Of course, God is much more than a muse and we can and should look to Him as we seek inspiration and direction in all areas of our lives. He is more than willing to be our guide and speaks and breathes love and wisdom all the time. May we all learn to hear his loving voice ever clearer and clearer.
by Tammy Tkach
