ART AND PRAYER
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER SERIES
Contemplative Prayer
What if a painting could lead you into prayer?
Art has a way of quieting the noise and opening the heart. This series pairs the beauty of visual artwork with the depth of Scripture to guide you into genuine conversation with God — speaking, listening, and simply resting in the Divine presence.
Rooted in the ancient practice of Visio Divina (meaning "Divine Seeing"), these episodes are more than something to watch. They're an invitation — a gentle, unhurried space for prayer and contemplation.
As Henri Nouwen beautifully put it, "Our true challenge is to return to the center, to the heart, and to find there the gentle voice that speaks to us and affirms us in a way no human voice ever could."
Three ways to enter in:
🎨 Praying With an Artist and Their Work — Full video episodes of 15–25 minutes for when you're ready to slow down and go deeper. Available on YouTube.
⏱️ 60 Seconds with an Artist and Their Work — Brief, theme-based reflections drawn from the longer episodes, perfect for a moment of pause in your day. Available on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. (On mobile? Check the video descriptions for links to the original 9×16 versions.)
📖 Text Reflections — Prefer to move at your own pace? Each episode description includes a written version of the reflection, so you can linger with the image and the words in your own time and rhythm.
These experiences are designed not just to be watched, but to move you — from the screen into prayer. Wherever you are in your faith journey, there's a place for you here.
This Week’s Episodes
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The Series Creator
The series is created and presented by Rev. Rob McPherson, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church with over 30 years experience. His writing on art, spirituality, and contemplative practice has been featured by Progressive Christianity. He received his MDiv from United Theological Seminary in 1994, and a BA from the University of Michigan in 1990. In addition he has a certificate in World Art History from Smithsonian Associates. (If you are interested, you can get one too!) Rob currently serves as the pastor of Davison United Methodist Church in Davison, MI. He produces these videos because they feed his soul and hopes that you also find them nourishing for your faith.
"Silence is God’s first language; everything else is a poor translation."
— Thomas Keating
What do you see when you look at a tree that is different from the others? Egon Schiele’s The Four Trees invites us to look more closely at the natural world, at ourselves, and at the people around us.
Ezekiel 17:22-24
What do you see when you look at a tree that is different from the others? Egon Schiele’s The Four Trees invites us to look more closely at the natural world, at ourselves, and at the people around us.
Ezekiel 17:22-24
Use this guide for prayer and contemplation. Read slowly, pausing as needed for silence and reflection.
Opening
Settle into a place of calm. Let your body rest. Release any tension you are carrying.
Draw in a deep breath. Release it slowly.
Breathe deeply once more, and let the breath go gently.
Open yourself to what God has for you today.
Reflection on Contemplative Prayer
Trees hold beauty before us. They can also become signs of life, strength, dignity, and our connection with creation.
A small cottonwood once began growing in a pot where it had not been planted. The soil was good, and it received water. It flourished, yet the pot was too small for the life it was becoming. Its roots needed earth, and its branches needed room to reach toward the sky. Once transplanted into the yard, it found welcome and grew well. It only needed the right place at the right time.
As you enter this time of prayer, imagine what God may be tending, moving, or transplanting within you. Let the trees in the painting become a doorway into prayer.
Scripture
Ezekiel 17:22–24, Inclusive Bible
“This is what Sovereign God says: I myself will take a shoot from the top of a cedar and plant it. I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a lofty and high mountain. I will plant it on the mountain heights of Israel. It will grow branches, bear fruit, and become a splendid cedar. All kinds of birds will nest in it. They will find shelter in the shade of its branches.
All the trees of the countryside will know that I am God, who stunts tall trees and makes low trees grow. I dry up the green tree, and I make the dry tree flourish. I, God, have spoken, and I will do it.”
Invite the Spirit to breathe through these words.
Artwork for Prayerful Reflection
The Four Trees by Egon Schiele
As you gaze, allow the four trees to become companions in prayer. Notice their similarities and differences, their rootedness, and the space around them.
Reflection Questions
What first draws your attention in the painting?
What thoughts, feelings, ideas, or memories arise as you gaze?
Where is God inviting you to grow today?
What thought or possibility might God be transplanting within you?
What other scripture comes to mind as you look at the trees?
What message do these scriptures carry for you today?
What do you hear as you listen through your inward thoughts and deepest feelings?
What becomes visible when you look more closely at the tree that differs from the others?
How might God be inviting you to meet difference, hurt, or another season of life with compassion and attention?
What will you carry from this prayer into your life?
Closing
God of life, plant us where we can grow. Give us roots that reach deep, branches that offer shelter, and hearts attentive to those whose lives unfold differently from our own. Help us look closer, listen well, and respond with compassion. Amen.