The Thriving Christian Artist
The Thriving Christian Artist
The Vagus Nerve: God's Hidden System for Peace
Have you ever wondered why singing worship songs or praying aloud makes you feel physically better? There's a fascinating neurological reason behind it, and it's all part of God's incredible design for your well-being.
The vagus nerve—running from your brainstem through your face, vocal cords, heart, lungs, and digestive system—is your body's built-in peace activator. Research shows that singing and praying aloud are two of the most powerful ways to stimulate this nerve, releasing calm throughout your entire being. It's biological proof of what scripture has always taught: expressing worship isn't just spiritually beneficial—it physically transforms your body.
When Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Acts 16, they didn't just silently hope for rescue. They sang hymns, literally activating God's designed pathways for peace in their darkest moment. Their breakthrough wasn't just spiritual; it was neurological. Similarly, when you're battling anxiety or negative thought patterns, staying silent gives those thoughts power. Breaking the silence through declaration, worship, and prayer disrupts the enemy's grip and releases God's peace into your physical body.
For those called to create, there's even more good news. Studies show that just 45 minutes of creative activity significantly lowers stress hormones—even in people who don't consider themselves artists. When you create, you're not just expressing yourself; you're tapping into the image of God within you, activating divine pathways for healing and wholeness.
Ready to experience the full power of God's design for your well-being? Start by using your voice. Pray aloud, worship with abandon, and speak God's promises over your life. Your creativity isn't just a gift—it's medicine for your spirit, soul, and body. Subscribe to the Thriving Christian Artist podcast to discover more ways to align with God's design for your creative calling.
References:
- Porges, S.W. (2010). The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological Foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
- Zaccaro, A., et al. (2018). How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
- Newberg, A., et al. (2006). Neural correlates of glossolalia (praying in tongues): The measurement of regional cerebral blood flow during glossolalia. University of Pennsylvania study; also cited in How God Changes Your Brain (2009).
- Francis, L.J., & Robbins, M. (2003). Personality and glossolalia: A study among Pentecostal ministers. Journal of Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
- Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of Cortisol Levels and Participants’ Responses Following Art Making. Art Therapy: Journal of the American Art Therapy Association.
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So what if I told you that God designed your worship, your prayers, even your creativity, to be used by Him to have the power to heal not just your spirit but your body and mind too? You know science is finally catching up to what the Bible has taught us all along that when you lift your voice and sing and align your heart with God's Word, something incredible happens in your whole being. Today, we're diving into this powerful connection between faith, neuroscience and creativity today on the Thriving Christian Artist podcast. Welcome to the Thriving Christian Artist, the podcast where we hope you connect with God to bust through the roadblocks that have held you back for years, create the work you love and really live the life. You know God created you to live as an artist in his kingdom. I'm Matt Tommey, your host. Let's get started. Well, hey there, my friend, so glad that you're with me on the podcast today. You know today is going to be, I hope, packed with encouragement for you, as we're talking about how God specifically designed a spirit, soul and body to thrive as the people that he's called us to be. You know I love neuroscience and I love the connection between that and renewing our mind and just living the way that God created us to live, and one of the most fascinating things that I'm finding out in my own journey is that it happens this whole renewing your mind thing and really thriving. It happens through something that we call the vagus nerve. Now, don't be too scared if you're not scientific I'm going to explain all this, but by some research is a lot smarter than I am. But this vagus nerve actually is something that runs through your brainstem, down through your face, your vocal cords, your heart, your lungs and even your digestive system, and it's a part of what they call the parasympathetic nervous system, which is what allows your body to kind of calm down and recover when anything's going on, you know, in your life. So super, super important.
Speaker 1:Here's what the amazing takeaway is for us. It's amazing that research actually shows two of the best ways to stimulate this nerve in your body is and also, when you do that, it releases peace and balance in your body Right. Two of the best ways to do that are actually singing and praying out loud. I'm like I love it, I love it, I love it. In fact, I had a friend of mine years ago who was going through some lung issues and some vocal issues and even some cancer issues with all that. And the doctor told him he said, one of the best things that you can do to actually heal your body during this time and heal your lungs was guess what? To sing sing the song that God's put in you. Oh, I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it.
Speaker 1:Dr Stephen Porges, who developed the polyvagal theory, actually explains that the vagus nerve controls the muscles in your face, your vocal cords, your heart and your lungs. And so the cool thing is that when you lift your voice to the Lord in prayer or in worship or in praise, you're not just expressing your love for him, your faith, you're literally activating God's built-in system in your body to release peace and release joy and release balance in your life. And I don't know about you, but to me that is just so incredible. I love it when science confirms the things that we already know. In the kingdom of God from his word, it just is like bringing more and more faith to my life and my heart to walk in the kingdom of God from his word. It just is like bringing more and more faith to my my life and my heart to walk in the things that God's told us. Now listen, of course, all of this is no surprise to us, right? Because God told us long before science ever figured this out. He told us, like in Psalm 39, 14, one 39, 14, it says I will praise you for I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Now that word praise you may know, like from the seven Hebrew words for praise is actually Yadah in Hebrew, which means to throw out your hands in worship and in Thanksgiving. In other words, it's sort of this expressive, vocal embodiment of worship. Right, it's not just happening in your head, it's happening with your whole body.
Speaker 1:I'm reminded in Acts 16, you know, when Paul and Silas were in the jail, right, they're beaten up, chained up in a dark prison. What did they start doing? Did they just start thinking about they would hope that God would rescue them? Did they just start journaling about it? No, they actually, out of their mouth, began to sing and pray. They sang hymns to God. Right, they didn't just sit there, they didn't just think good thoughts, they didn't just hope that things would change, they actually lifted their voice. And I believe that not only brought spiritual breakthrough and peace to them, but it brought physical peace and breakthrough to them as well in their bodies.
Speaker 1:I love it in Philippians 4, 6, and 7. It tells us don't be anxious for anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, what, present your request to God. Now, what happens when you do that? What happens when you present through prayers and petitions and thanksgiving, what happens when you present those to God? The peace of God will guard your heart and mind. In other words, when you speak out your prayers, when you bring these prayers and petitions before the Lord with a thankful heart, what happens? Peace is the thing that shows up, peace is the fruit.
Speaker 1:Now it's even more interesting, you know, as somebody who believes in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and believes in praying in the Spirit, praying in tongues. I think this even takes this understanding of how the vagus nerve and our nervous system respond. There's a neuroscientist, actually Dr Andrew Newberg, and he did a study on brains and the brains of believers. Actually, he did a study on brains and the brains of believers, actually, and when they were scanned while they were praying in tongues, he found that the frontal lobe of their brain, that is, you know, the part of the brain that controls your language and self-awareness and all that kind of thing. It actually quieted down when they were praying in the spirit. The interesting thing is about that, I think, that these participants that he was studying it said that they felt a deep peace and spiritual connection. And another study around this same topic found that people who regularly pray in the spirit experience lower stress and greater emotional well-being.
Speaker 1:Now, again, this is something we know from God's word, right 1 Corinthians 14 talks about, for if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays right and my understanding is unfruitful. In other words, you may not understand what's going on in your cognitive brain. The Bible says in those same verses he who speaks in a tongue what he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. So when you pray in the spirit, you're actually building yourself up again spiritually, emotionally and physically. Now I just want to keep building on this today because again I'm trying to bring to you the fact that when you engage in the spiritual practices that we have been practicing as Christians for hundreds and even a couple of thousand years, these things don't just have spiritual impact. They have physical impact on us, but guess what? They also have spiritual impact in a big way, because one of the enemy's main strategies and I know, this has happened in my life and probably in yours as well.
Speaker 1:One of his main strategies is to keep us stuck in our own head. He loves to try to trap us in cycles of fear and anxiety and worry and those sort of you know, tormenting, exhausting internal movies that kind of feel like they're playing on repeat over and over and over and over again. Why does he do that? Well, here's the deal as long as you and I stay silent and everything is kept on the inside, he absolutely has the power to keep you bound up. But guess what? The second that you begin to open your mouth, when you pray, when you sing, when you declare the word of God out loud, guess what? Boom, it breaks the grip of the enemy over your life. It disrupts the lies that he's trying to sow in your life and it releases the peace and the power and the presence of God into your life. And isn't it interesting? I think you know the Bible says the enemy is the prince of the power of the air.
Speaker 1:But when we speak our words out, right, the spoken word of God, when we speak it out into the air, they carry not just positive intentions for us, not just good thoughts. No, they carry the authority and the life and the light of God. You know Proverbs 18, 21,. You've heard me say it a lot of times power of life and death are where In the tongue. So get this in your heart right now.
Speaker 1:Your words are not just extraneous little things that don't matter. Your words are not just noise. They are spiritual weapons, real spiritual weapons that God's given us, especially when they contain the living, active and powerful word of God, which it only has the power to defeat the enemy and to bring real change. Again, we're not just talking about positive thinking, we're not just talking about new age scientific mumbo jumbo. We're talking about combining the word of God with the natural processes that God's already put into our body to not only defeat the enemy but also bring breakthrough and change and peace and joy and fulfillment to our heart.
Speaker 1:So listen, when you're just, you know I deal with the same things you deal with. So when you're in a situation where fear and anxiety is starting to creep in and rise up in your heart, and when the enemy's, you know, shooting those fiery darts at you about who you're called to be and what you're called to do, and he starts whispering those lies, darts at you about who you're called to be and what you're called to do, and he starts whispering those lies. Don't just sit there, don't just go down the rabbit hole, don't just get all stuck up in your head. That's it. Listen, that's exactly where he wants you. You've got to learn to train yourself to open your mouth. Begin to worship, begin to pray. Begin to pray in the spirit, begin to declare the promises of God, the word of God. That's how you push back the darkness. That's how you know. The Bible says resist the enemy and he'll flee. That's how you resist the enemy and that's how you start experiencing breakthrough and cultivating this atmosphere of breakthrough in your life Again, not just spiritually, but spirit, soul and body.
Speaker 1:Now I just want to take this to one other level for us as artists, because research shows that creative activities whether it's your painting, weaving, dancing, writing you know, whatever you're doing those creative activities have the power to lower stress levels and bring healing as well, to be used as a tool by the Lord. There's a study in art therapy, actually, that found that just 45 minutes of creative work lowers cortisol and the stress hormone, and even in people who did not consider themselves artists. Why? Because God gave us creativity, not only as a way to engage him and encounter his presence and to release his life and life, but also to bring healing and peace and joy to us. You're creating.
Speaker 1:Listen, we know this right. We know that when we create, we're tapping into something that's much greater than ourselves. We're tapping into the nature of God and the image of God in our life. I mean in Genesis 1, 27,. He tells us we're tapping into the nature of God and the image of God in our life. I mean in Genesis 1, 27,. He tells us we're made in his image, the image of the ultimate creative God. Right In Exodus 31,. You've heard me say it a million times. You know, bezalel was both filled with the spirit of God and skilled in every manner of workmanship.
Speaker 1:So when you're stepping into that place of your creative calling, doing the thing that God designed and assigned you to do on this earth and in this realm, when you do that, you are intentionally aligning with God's design and assignment for your life, and that's powerful. Listen, when you do things when I do things God's way, whether it's worshiping or praying or declaring or creating or resisting the enemy or whatever it is, you're stepping into the flow of the kingdom. You're stepping into life the way he intended, and when you do that, and when I do that, we get to reap the fruit of peace and wholeness and transformation. Listen, god's not holding those things back from you. You just have not learned how the kingdom of God is designed to work in your life. And when you learn to align yourself with how God designed change to happen God designed breakthrough to happen again from the inside out, based in his word, led by his spirit, that's when you can begin to experience peace and wholeness and joy and fulfillment and lasting transformation in your life.
Speaker 1:So listen, I know this was a lot today, but just as a takeaway, I want you to realize God has already given you the powerful tools and processes inside of you that you need to thrive. Right your voice, your worship, your prayers, your creativity, his words and, again, these spiritual disciplines, this training yourself right. They are the weapons that God has used and uses in our life. When we choose to pick up the sword of his word, to lean into the leadership of his spirit, to speak it out of our mouth, he's given us the power to experience breakthrough. And so listen when you're feeling overwhelmed and anxious, and all this stuff. Do not, please do not go down the rabbit hole of isolation. Lift up your voice right, begin to declare who God's called you to be, because when you do that, when you lean into his presence, empowered by his spirit, that's when your emotions are going to shift, because you're aligning your whole entire being, spirit, soul and body, inside and outside. You're aligning it with the peace and presence of God.
Speaker 1:Jesus, I pray right now that you would use this episode today, god, to wake us up in the spirit, to realize that we're not just these people that are sitting here like a bump on the log waiting for heaven, but God. You have invested and installed your kingdom inside of us as a divine blueprint for life and living, and you have given us physical systems, god, in our life, that when we combine those with the truth of your kingdom, they have the power to release healing and freedom and breakthrough, not only in us but through us, so that we can be ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation and healing in the lives of others. God, I pray that by the spirit today, you would wake us up, resonate within us and give us greater faith, or to step into these incredible processes that you've already put inside of us. We thank you for that, lord, in Jesus name. Amen.
Speaker 1:Hey friend, listen. Thank you so much for being on the podcast today. If this has been a blessing to you, don't just click the next podcast. I want you to share it on social media. Email it or text it to a friend, make sure that you're subscribed, invite them to subscribe. All right, we're on our way very quickly to 2 million downloads this year on the Thriving Christian Artist podcast, and it's all because of listeners like you, who find this podcast and the things that I'm sharing valuable for not only your art life, not only your business life, but your life in the kingdom. I love you. I hope you'll join me again and remember until next time you were created to thrive.
Speaker 1:Bye, hey, my friend, before you go, make sure that you're signed up for the Thriving Christian Artist Weekly. It's my free newsletter, full of spiritual encouragement, creative inspiration and practical tips to help you thrive in everything that God's called you to do as an artist in his kingdom. Every issue is absolutely free and it includes the latest podcast episode, featured artist spotlights, a worship song of the week and, again, tons of tips and encouragement and inspiration for you, to keep you inspired and encouraged in everything that God's got for you as an artist in the kingdom. You can click the link right here in the show notes to join us, and it's a great way to stay connected. All right, love you Bye. Thank you.