By Diane Tobolt

Scripture: And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace, to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76-79 NIV) Prayer of Zechariah

Scripture: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

Scripture: She (Hagar) gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13 (NIV)

Medium: Digital Art

We all go through it, those times when all around us is darkness–uncertainty, doubt, fear, a diagnosis, a death, a storm that blows us towards the rocky shores, or a change of circumstances that will take us into uncharted waters. Sometimes all we can do is hang on. But however alone we feel, we are not abandoned. The “God who sees me” is constantly present, an anchor in the storm, a resting place in the turmoil, and a light in the darkness.

God’s light steadily illumines our path – even if it’s only the next step. 

Prayer: O Father, let me rest my soul in you, no matter the circumstances or storms. You are my ever-present help, and you lead me in the path set out for me. 

© Diane Tobolt, 2026

The post Guiding Light first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

Media:  Watercolor, Acrylic

By Barbara Bonnell

Scripture: “My heart is steadfast, O God, I will sing and make music with all my soul.”  Psalm 108:1 (NIV)

Music, a wonderful talent the Lord has given us, is perfectly suited for praise and thanksgiving to God. The Bible speaks highly of music several times. In Psalm 108, the Psalmist David conveys what so many others do with words: “make music with all my soul.”  Music not only speaks to the musician’s heart, but also to our hearts as well.  We listen, enjoy, feel contented, or experience grace for deep needs in our life. 

Beautiful, God-breathed music can lift us to higher thoughts, replacing our worries with rest and peace.  During hard times, music has the power to sooth, comfort, and encourage us. At the same time, it also teaches Biblical principles and reinforces God’s Word. For that reason, music is an important part of worshiping the Lord and a talent through which many people bring joy, hope and God’s love to others.

This painting represents a young man who is focusing on the Lord Jesus Christ.  He is outside in his yard playing his instrument and singing as his heart rejoices in the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, music stirs our souls and inspires us as we worship you. Thank you for this wonderful part of life.  I pray for those with musical talent that they may lift up their voices and play their instruments to your honor and glory. And for those of us who may not be musical talented, may our music-filled worship lead us to serve you according to your purposes.

© Barbara Bonnell, 2026

The post Young Man’s Musical Moments first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

By Debbie Gustafson, reflecting on the 2025-2026 Great Commission Artists theme, The God Who Whispers

Scripture: Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them. To whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven; which things angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1 :10-12 ASV)

Scripture: Even so, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (Luke 15:10 ASV)

Media: Watercolor. Watercolor Pencils, Markers

Reflection: Prior to making this painting I’d been pondering and meditating on how God whispers biblical truths to the angels. The concept of seeing behind their wings invites the viewer to ask what emotions or what responses they might have at the pivotal points of Scripture and divine activity. The angels desire to look into and understand the wonderous gift of salvation available to man. It’s a gift not available to them. It fascinates them, and when a person chooses to trust in the work of Christ, they rejoice greatly. Though the angel in the painting doesn’t reflect great emotion, the image reminds us that one should try to see behind the wings and ponder their response to God. There’s a unique correlation between their view of spiritual things and the character of God. Even though the Bible may seem silent on these things, what is there wets one’s appetite to understand more about the depth of God’s love, plan, forgiveness, and character.

Prayer: Precious heavenly Father, I thank you so much for your word, and what You’ve said about angels. I thank you that as I understand more about them, I also grow in my understanding of You. While I ponder how precious and unique the gift of salvation is, I pray that on a daily basis that you would give me deeper insight into this gracious provision. Though a sinful person, I rejoice that I can live eternally with You, my Creator, and like Your angels, be forever fascinated by the depth of salvation’s mystery. Amen.

© Debbie Gustafson 2025

The post If We Could See Behind Their Wings first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

By Barbara Bonnell

Scripture: I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.  (Ephesians 3:16 – 20 NIV)

Media:   Watercolor, Watercolor Pencil

Reflection: This painting represents a person in quiet meditation and reflective moments with attention and thoughts focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ dwells by faith through the Holy Spirit in each believers heart. To be established in the Lord’s love is a wonderful reality the Lord freely gives to all believers.  As He surrounds us with His everlasting love and His power, we are fully covered by Him.

Looking and trusting Jesus, whether we need direction in decisions to be made or we greatly desire to worship and praise Him, our hearts can commune with Him. When we are still and quiet, looking to the Lord Jesus in a set-apart time, He nourishes and strengthens us. We may have prayers to bring before Him, or perhaps He puts prayers in our heart that we haven’t yet thought of. He may give us deeper thoughts on a Bible Verse to consider or provide inner rest from problems we may be facing. The beautiful Bible verse from Ephesians 3 tells us how God totally surrounds us with His love. Spending time with the Lord in quiet moments brings purpose and spiritual growth to our lives. No matter how busy or hectic our schedules are, we can turn our thoughts to Jesus and focus our hearts and minds on Him.

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for rooting us in Your love and giving us the Holy Spirit who never leaves us. You have made a way for us to know You—and to know Your love and power will keep us and all who follow You safe and strong. Our lives find guidance, hope and love through You. It is by Your power the Holy Spirit dwells within us, leading us in faith to listen to your voice and teachings. As Christian believers, may we be faithful in seeking time to quiet our heart to be spiritually nourished by You. Amen.

The post Quiet Moments first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

I love the song “Flawless” by MercyMe. One line in particular sparks my imagination to see Jesus as the “Hero” who enters the stage of humanity’s history while all of us sit on the edge of our collective seats wondering if it’s too late.

Oh, but we know it’s not too late because there’s this miraculous, phenomenal gift called grace! By that grace, we know and love this Hero Who changed everything for everyone forever. Indeed, Jesus took the stage, walked the path to Golgotha, stretched His hands out for iron spikes to pierce, and suffered horrific pain until He finally chose to give up his spirit. What He did on the cross and from the empty grave changed my life and yours. We care about Jesus because He wrapped us in His righteousness and secured our place in the family of God and our heavenly, eternal home.

Megan’s art says it all. People need to know that God sees them, that He cares about them, that they’re so important the Father sent Jesus to save their souls. How many people out there in the sea of faces feel like they don’t belong? How many feel insignificant? How many fear that God is either incredibly angry with them or couldn’t care less about what they perceive to be their measly existence?

Those are the reasons we care. But how do we communicate to them why they should care?

Let’s be honest. Heaven is real, and so is hell. If they don’t believe God on this whole salvation matter, they’ll die without grace and that’s the most tragic scenario there is. If we know God, we can’t help but sense and accept the truth that He passionately loves every single human who has ever lived or will ever live.

Love is everything. Love always wins. As we share the Great Commission, the “how” isn’t the problem. God will supply. It’s the “why” that counts. Without love, we sound like noisy cymbals clanking and clanging in the stark silence of a lonely world.

Before we do anything else, we must ask God for the grace to love as He loves. People know the difference. They don’t like phonies. We must learn the “why” on our knees and pray for His vision of His beloved humanity the way Megan did when she drew this art.

Copyright © Marianne McDonough, 2024

The post The Third Big Question: Why Should I Care? first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

Jesus was from Nazareth, or so people thought, and in a way, yes, He was from Nazareth in Galilee. But Jesus’s critics wondered, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” That, apparently, was enough to discredit anyone at the time. But what really riled them up was Jesus’s statement in John 3:13-14:

“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven–the Son of Man.“

That’s about as clear as it could get. Jesus was from heaven. His Father sent Him, and He obeyed. But the leaders weren’t the only ones who questioned. In John 7:25, “some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, ‘Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

They were so convinced that Jesus was from Nazareth that they couldn’t accept what Jesus plainly told them. Again, Jesus says in verses 28-29, “I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

Today I searched the internet and quickly found sources who dispute not only Jesus’s origin but even that He said He was from heaven. But clearly, from the two examples I just quoted, Jesus said outright that He was from heaven.

Not only that, as depicted in this wonderful art by Barbara Bonnell, the prophet Isaiah prophesied (7:14) that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. This was written several centuries previous to Jesus’ birth.

If we’re going to participate in the Great Commission, we must believe with utmost certainty that Jesus was from heaven, because if He wasn’t, there would be no gospel message to share, and all of us would be lost.

© Copyright Marianne McDonough, 2024

The post The Second Big Question: Where Did Jesus Come From? first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

In Luke 10, we learn about two sisters who were close friends of Jesus. It’s a famous story that tells us a lot about the importance of knowing Who He is. Jesus commended Mary for choosing the “better part, because she knew Who Jesus was, and she wasn’t going to miss a word. But Martha knew Him, too. Even though she didn’t shine in the first story, later Martha declared to Jesus emphatically, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” (John 11:27 NIV) Then Jesus raised her brother from the dead!

In Grace Erickson’s beautiful image, “Father, Forgive Them,” do you see Jesus’s mission? Do you feel the emotion? This art reminds us of how much our redemption cost. When we know Jesus, as Mary and Martha did, we understand that He is the Son of God and how important the Great Commission is to Him.

Here’s the first step to the Great Commission: make it your priority to know Jesus, sit at His feet, and listen intently. The “better part”organically births the desire to serve, share Jesus, and give of ourselves to the kingdom purpose of populating heaven.

How can we share the gospel without knowing Him first?

© Marianne McDonough, 2024

The post The First Big Question: Who Is Jesus Christ? first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

“You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He is doing.” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

Eight artists sat around a table with me. Listening to one of my favorite songs, “Just Give Me Jesus” by Fernando Ortega, we had just enjoyed a wonderful worship time together. Then a thought came to me, a rather unusual thought. I didn’t understand it, but I spoke it anyway, “Let’s gather in small groups of two or three and create something together.”

The looks on their faces ranged from surprise to “What did you just say?” I had to smile. I’ve been in leadership a long time, and even I was wondering how that was going to work. It worked fabulous with singers, dancers, and writers, but artists? Hmmmm.

But being the adventurous souls they were, they proceeded to “work together,” talking, sharing, conceptualizing, and sketching. The result was our very first Great Commission art piece.

A group of three produced a painting of an imprisoned man seated in his cell reading the Word of God. A bright light was shining through the barred window, and he appeared to be deep in thought and peace. It was lovely.

I called a prison ministry friend and asked what he thought about it. He took it with him on his next visit, and they put the painting in their library.

Yes, God knows exactly what He’s doing, even if it seems surprising or unusual to us.

© Marianne McDonough, 2024

The post Called to Lean first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

“If we let the Spirit of God bring us face to face with God, we too shall hear something akin to what Isaiah heard, the still small voice of God; and in perfect freedom will say ‘Here am I; send me.'” Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest.

The prophet Isaiah’s writing was exquisite. As a writer, I stand amazed at his technical skills and creative use of language. But, even more impressively, his writing was relevant not only to his generation but all subsequent generations, including our own that reads it via this 21st century mechanism called technology.

Clearly, Isaiah paid attention to the Spirit’s voice, as in the vision in which he answered God’s call. Interestingly, though, Chambers wrote that Isaiah “overheard” the Trinity” speaking, “Whom shall we send?” God was not even addressing Isaiah directly, but Isaiah answered with “Here am I; send me.”

We don’t have to be in the throes of a heavenly vision to hear God, but we do need to be positioned where we can be attentive. That happens in many ways and venues, but the principle is the same: listening that includes a response completes the communication process and produces the best results.

© Marianne McDonough, 2024

The post Called to Listen first appeared on Great Commission Artists.

“I take my shoes off when I’m writing. To me it’s a reminder that it’s holy ground.” Mark Batterson, Draw the Circle.

Worship is the key to and foundation for creating anything that really matters to God and people. Why?

I’ll answer with a story. When I was promoting my first book, I woke up on a Saturday morning a little nervous but excited about a book signing at a local Barnes and Noble. At the time, I was reading Batterson’s Draw the Circle, and I cried when I read, ” . . . a book sold is not a book sold; a book sold is a prayer answered. I don’t know the name and situation of every reader, but God does, and that’s all that matters.”

When we view our art that way, whatever the genre, of course, we understand that where we create is indeed holy ground, for that is where the Great I Am teaches us about Himself, who we are, and how to help answer the prayers of His beloved people.

© Marianne McDonough, 2024

The post Called to Adore first appeared on Great Commission Artists.