Join Rev. Rob McPherson in prayer with William H. Johnson’s Ezekiel Saw the Wheel, a powerful vision of God’s presence amid suffering and hope. Where does your heart linger in this vibrant scene? What might God be calling you to do, and how does God assure you in the task?

The Spiritual "Ezekiel Saw De Wheel"

Use this guide for prayer and contemplation. Read slowly, pausing as needed for silence and reflection.

Opening

Settle into a comfortable position. Let your shoulders soften. Unclench your jaw. Rest your hands.

Breathe in, slowly. Breathe out, slowly.

Stay here a moment.

Holy One, we come to you now. Meet us as we are, and draw us into your living presence.

Reflection on Contemplative Prayer

Today, we pray with an image—trusting that God can meet us through what we see. We are not here to analyze or solve the painting. We are here to encounter the Holy One—much like the prophet Ezekiel did.

As you gaze, look for the tensions held in this prayer: slavery and liberation, suffering and resistance, death and resurrection. Do not strain to grasp every detail. Let your God-senses come alive. Open your spirit to the presence of God with you.

Text for Reflection

The title of today’s artwork comes from an African American spiritual, born from the southern plantations in the early 19th century. The version below is based on an excerpt from Richard Powell’s book on the “Art and Life of William H. Johnson”.

Ezekiel saw the wheel,
way up in the middle of the air.
Ezekiel saw the wheel,
way in the middle of the air.

The big wheel run by faith.
Little wheel run by the grace of God.

Wheel within a wheel,
way in the middle of the air.
Wheel, oh wheel—
wheel in the middle of a wheel.

This spiritual echoes a vision that began Ezekiel’s ministry: heavenly creatures, wheels moving beside them—wheels within wheels—and, above all, the glory of the Lord. Overwhelmed, Ezekiel fell on his face, and a voice sent him to speak on God’s behalf with words of mourning, lamentation, and warning.

Holy Spirit, breathe through these words. Let what is behind the words speak to us now.

Artwork for Prayerful Reflection

Ezekiel Saw the Wheel — William H. Johnson

In this image, Ezekiel falls to his knees as the wheels appear. His hands lift in surrender, his face turned toward heaven. Near him lie a dropped cane and a gold bag—signs of weakness, and of earthly possessions released. Trees and mountains rise behind him, and in the sky the sun and the moon share the heavens.

Let this painting become a doorway into prayer: God present in heaven and earth, day and night, suffering and renewal—and you, a witness.

Reflection Questions

As you look at the painting, what part of the scene draws your attention first?

Where do you notice signs of slavery and liberation, suffering and resistance, death and resurrection—either in the image or in what it awakens in you?

Where do your eyes linger as you hold our world in prayer?

What does this place of lingering suggest about our world right now—about what feels trapped, and what feels like growth?

How do you sense God present in that part of our world as you pray?

When have you witnessed God within that place—through courage, tenderness, resistance, or renewal?

As the spiritual echoes in you, what do you hear behind the words—what quiet invitation rises from within?

What detail in the painting feels like a message from God to you today?

How might that message connect with what is happening in our world right now?

As God called Ezekiel to speak and to act, what response is being formed in you—and what assurance do you sense from God as you take your next faithful step?

Closing

God of glory, present in all creation—present in our suffering and our flourishing—stay near to us. Give us courage to listen, clarity to respond, and grace to walk in what you ask of us. Do not let fear lead us; let your love lead us. Amen.