The Struggle to Be Known

“The Struggle to be Known” – A 10-chapter devotional series for creatives and those who want to be more creative.

Psalm 139:11-12

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

The writer of our Psalm has constructed a beautiful and resonant metaphor in this study of light and shadow. Whether he is speaking of the darkness of the ages or a more personal night of the soul, the Psalmist points us to a quiet truth: darkness is not overcome by effort or escape, but by presence. The nearness of the Creator changes everything.

So what exactly does this mean to those of us who struggle to live a more creative life? When we pattern our lives after Christ and remain in relationship with Him, His light is not something we visit — it’s something we carry. It shapes how we see, how we listen, and how we create. This informs our creativity. We bring Christ’s love and care to those we encounter through our creative efforts.

Our hands become His hands. Our voice becomes His voice. Our care becomes His care — expressed through the work we offer the world.

And rest assured, when love is given, it does not diminish — it multiplies. As we pour it out, we discover it returning to us, deeper and more fully than before.

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SIDEBAR: “Hidden Work: The Brain Creates in the Dark”

What happens beneath the surface while we’re resting or unsure

Research shows that the brain solves problems even when we’re not consciously thinking about them. This is called the incubation effect.

• Stepping away from a problem increases the chances of a breakthrough.
• Insights often occur in places of rest, quiet, or even emotional darkness.
• Creativity thrives when the brain is given space to operate beneath awareness.

David writes of the God who sees us in hidden places. Creativity researchers have discovered a parallel truth: the mind also works in hidden places. What feels like “nothing happening” can be where the deepest creative shifts occur. That’s why many artists will step away from their “canvas” when they feel stuck or at a crossroads, giving their unconscious mind the chance to work out the problem in the dark.

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I saw this truth play out clearly during my years working in the church. For almost twenty-five years, I was the music minister at a small Baptist church in rural Arkansas. It was a part-time position, and during those years I also worked a full-time job. The term of the day was bi-vocational — you don’t hear it used much anymore.

Working at the church, I would occasionally make time for prayer alone in the small sanctuary. Sometimes I would stop by in the evenings when no one else was there, playing the piano and singing worship songs — just God and me in that sacred space. While I was alone, I often noticed things about the sanctuary I had never really thought about before: a corner where someone might stand and sing, a new way the choir could be configured, or a spot where a holiday decoration could be incorporated into our services. That is one of the things I miss most about being employed at a church — those times of private worship.

Sometimes my choir was hesitant to accept these new ideas, but ultimately they were willing to try. Many of these experiments resulted in unique and beautifully creative worship experiences. The changes were usually well received, and I became known for creating those kinds of services.

It was a season of life when everything felt possible, and God made many things happen that I never dared to dream. I felt as though I was standing in the middle of His creative power, exactly where He intended me to be.

Those times of quiet, prayerful meditation — when the stillness allowed my mind to dream through possibilities — were often moments when God revealed truths to me. This was not pen-to-paper work, but a gentle allowing of my thoughts to roam and explore what might be possible. I took note of the creative ideas that came during these quiet prayer times. Today, I see the connection even more clearly. These peaceful moments of creative dreaming allowed me to sense God’s movement, and I tried to join Him there, in that work.

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PROBING DEEPER

Do you make intentional space for quiet in your life — time simply to be with God and listen? When was the last time you allowed your mind to rest and dream before Him without an agenda? Consider what it might look like to gently protect a small pocket of your day for prayer, reflection, or silence, trusting that God often speaks most clearly when we slow down.

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