Art as Worship: God’s Provision Illustrated

For nearly ten years, Carla Dyck has been learning to follow the Lord through painting as much as through prayer. Though trained as a photographer, she discovered painting during a challenging season while caring for her mother. What began as a simple shared activity became a place where God gently restored their relationship and brought unexpected healing to Carla’s own heart. 

From there, painting became part of her devotional life, sketching what rose to the surface as she read Scripture and finding deeper understanding through the images that formed. In time, this grew into a ministry within her church community. 

Carla now serves on the Special Services Team at Christian Fellowship Chapel (Winnipeg, MB), working with others to prepare services for Advent, Christmas, Holy Week, Pentecost, and other seasons. During these times, the Lord often gives her a painting, sometimes a single image, sometimes a whole series, to offer to the congregation. She describes the creative process as Holy-Spirit-led, a place of peace even when spiritual resistance surrounds it. 

​Most of her pieces come during the Easter and Christmas seasons, though inspiration sometimes arrives during “ordinary time.” Each painting becomes a testimony of what God has shown her- an invitation for others to see Scripture anew. 
The piece below continues that pattern: a visual meditation on how God provides the way, weaving together scenes from Scripture that all point toward Christ, the Lamb of God. ​

The thicket moves upwards and catches the horn of a ram. This ram, seated on the altar, is provided by God as a substitutionary atonement in place of Abraham's son, Isaac. The adult male sheep can serve as a suitable burnt offering.  

Interestingly, earlier, when Isaac asked Abraham where the lamb was for the burnt offering, Abraham answered, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." This was prophetic and not yet fulfilled or finished with the ram.

A lamb would still be required. God provides the way. 

You'll notice an old door with its frame smeared with blood. It was the blood of a pure, spotless lamb. The Israelites were to remain inside under the covering of the blood of the lamb. This blood would be a sign to God. When He would see it, He would pass over the home, sparing them from the plague of death to the firstborn son. God provides the way.  

Large, dark waves rise up on the sides. From a bird's eye view, we see two rows of waves moving outwards from the centre, creating a path through the Red Sea. Moses held up his staff for the water to part. Of course, we know it wasn't Moses' own power making it so. It was God's power, using Moses' faith and obedience to provide a way to save His people as they fled from Egypt. In the shape of a Shepherd's staff, this truth echoes throughout the painting.  

At the centre of it all is a lamb and a cross. The thicket moves over on top of the lamb's head to become a crown of thorns, and is also shown as firewood beneath the lamb on the altar. (As an aside: notice the Red Sea splashing forward to the cross, connecting the Old Testament with the New). Jesus, the spotless, pure Lamb of God, has come as an atonement to take away the sins of the world, our sins. If you look closely, you may notice the empty tomb at the bottom of the painting. Jesus is no longer dead, but risen. God provides The Way.  

Moving to the lower right side of the painting, we see the why behind it all. The thicket becomes a vine. Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches. He died for us on the cross, taking our sin upon his sinless self, so we might have life. Because of His great love for us, God found a way for us to be reconciled to Himself forever, in heaven and here on earth. As we choose to abide with Him now, the Holy Spirit works in us to produce fruit. Do you see the branch that looks like a hand, holding onto the vine?  
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Let's abide on purpose, intentionally hold on. It won't happen by accident. ​

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Carla Dyck is an artist who attends Christian Fellowship Chapel in Winnipeg, MB. Her painting has become a meaningful way of meeting God through Scripture, offering Spirit-led artwork that helps others see biblical truths with fresh eyes.