Walking on Water, by Madeleine L’Engle, is a book of incredible insight into the relationship between faith and art. L’Engle reminds us, in her own, unique way, that as sons and daughters of the Creator, made in His image, we were created to create!

Walking on Water is a personal book, filled with stories and illustrations from Madeleine’s own life. As a creative artist herself, Madeleine L’Engle examines the relationship between her life as a Christian and her life as a writer and finds that they are inseparable. In her own words, “if our lives are truly ‘hid with Christ in God,’ the astounding thing is that this hiddenness is revealed in all that we do and say and write. What we are is going to be visible in our art, no matter how secular (on the surface) the subject may be.”

Madeleine L’Engle urges the Christian artist to go back to that state of childlike faith. Without it, she says, creating real art, in any form, is impossible. Madeleine quotes H.A. Williams saying “faith, on the other hand, consists in the awareness that I am more than I know,” and she relates this statement to the artist at work. “When I am working,” says Madeleine, “I move into an area of faith…I must have more faith in the work than I have in myself.”

Listen, says Madeleine. The artist, (and likewise, the Christian) must learn to be still, as Psalm 46:10 reminds us, and listen to the voice of the Spirit in our lives. The artist, because he has been given a gift, should learn to serve that gift. “When the work takes over,” say Madeleine, “then the artist is enabled to get out of the way, not to interfere…then the artist listens.”

“Art is an affirmation of life, a rebuttal of death,” says Madeleine. Walking on Water reminds the artist that death to self is necessary for the creation of art. Madeleine L’Engle understands that real art is only created when the artist gets out of the way and allows himself to be worked through, which, paradoxically, requires work on the artist’s part. Learning to listen, to get out of the way, is a huge task, but a necessary one as well. Just like the Christian, the artist is called to become nothing, to have faith, faith that sees angels and faith that walks on water.

“All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well. No matter what. That, I think, is the affirmation behind all art which can be called Christian. That is what brings cosmos out of chaos.”

Madeleine L’Engle –Walking on Water