Painted With Prayer
by Eric Elder

I painted three prayer magnets for a friend a few weeks ago. What’s a prayer magnet? I didn’t know either!

My friend told me that every year she gives her kids a small magnet with a verse on it to let them know what she’s praying for them for that year. Her kids then put it on their fridge as a reminder of her prayers.

I was so honored that she asked if I would paint them for her kids! Her idea was so simple, yet so impactful.

So I bought three little canvas magnets and got out my paints. It was fun to create each painting, knowing how thoughtful my friend had been in choosing each verse. As I painted, I prayed for her kids, too.

When I finished, I sent her a picture of each magnet, then carefully wrapped, packed, and shipped them off.

Unfortunately, they got lost in the mail!

We had updates for the first few days of every stop along the way. Then they stopped. A message said, “Delayed.” And for three weeks, they never moved.

We filed a request to look for them and prayed, but still nothing happened.

It made me cry. Not just because the magnets were lost, but because I had painted the magnets as a step of faith.

You see, I’ve never painted anything for anyone else before. I’ve only painted for myself. I just like to paint. I like to create. I like to see a blank canvas turn into something special.

But at an art retreat last fall, we were challenged to write down three goals for the next 90 days regarding our art. I felt God challenging me to share my artwork with others and not just keep it to myself.

I couldn’t imagine creating a painting and then giving it away, let alone selling it. My artwork feels like such a personal part of me! And yet, there was something intriguing about the idea.

What would it feel like to paint for someone else? To bring their idea to life. To share it with them or with those they love?

I wrote it down as one of my goals.

After the retreat, I shared some pictures of my paintings with a few friends. One of them asked if I could paint these three prayer magnets.

Normally, I would have said, “No.” I would have pointed them to other artists. But this time, I said, “Yes.” I wasn’t just saying yes to them. I was saying yes to God, for He was the one who was inviting me onward.

So why did I cry when the magnets were lost in the mail? Because I had stepped out in faith, stepped out of my comfort zone, and said yes to do something I had never done before. Now it was all lost.

Last week, as I was laying down for bed, I told God I could paint them again. I was willing to keep going. But I really wished the first ones could have made it. I had prayed over them, felt joy creating them, and now they were gone.

It wasn’t just the loss of the paintings but the feeling of falling flat on my face after stepping out in faith.

“If there’s any way,” I prayed to God, “could you please help those paintings get to their destination?”

The next morning, I got a text from my friend.

“Guess what arrived today!!! It looks like it went through the wringer… but I’m so excited!”

The paintings had come! Joy spread through my body. My shoulders relaxed. I exhaled with relief. All was not lost. God’s call was still good. And I knew I could go on.

What about you? What gifts has God given you that could bless others, too? As the Bible says:

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10).

Look at your gifts and look at God’s plan. Then use your gifts to fulfill God’s plan! That’s the heartbeat of missions.

P.S. Here’s a one-minute video where you can see all three magnets and how I made them!

https://youtube.com/shorts/57lrUUnXjBw