What stories from scripture shape your faith today? Harriet Powers stitched the Bible into a quilt — creation, betrayal, cross, and hope. Through quiet contemplation, we listen for the story God is stitching into our own lives.

Psalm 71:15-17

Harriet Powers stitched her faith into fabric. In her Bible Quilt, eleven panels trace the arc of scripture from creation to the crucifixion. Each square holds a story: Adam and Eve, Jacob’s dream, the baptism of Jesus, the Last Supper, Judas and the thirty pieces of silver. We cannot know exactly why she chose these scenes, but we can sense that each one carried meaning for her spiritual life. The quilt is both testimony and meditation.

In this episode of Art and Prayer, we begin by simply looking. Rather than analyzing the panels as historians or critics, we allow them to become windows. We pause with each scene and invite God to speak. What rises within us as we move from garden to wilderness, from betrayal to cross? What patterns or themes begin to emerge?

The quilt also invites us to consider the sweep of God’s saving acts throughout scripture. It reminds us that faith is not one isolated story but a tapestry of many stories stitched together across generations. Some stories we cherish. Others we struggle to understand. Yet all are part of the larger narrative of divine presence.

As we pray with the quilt, we are encouraged to notice not only what Harriet included, but also what she left out. What stories would we choose? What biblical moments have shaped our own understanding of God? In reflecting on those questions, we begin to stitch together the fabric of our own faith.

May this time of contemplation help you slow down, become aware of God’s presence, and listen for the sacred story unfolding in your life today.