Yesterday I reminded you that there is nothing wrong with leaning into words that other people have pondered and weighed. Focusing on a written prayer can keep us from the ramblings and meanderings of our minds when we are distracted or distressed. Sometimes too, we find that someone has summed up our experience of life better than we could ourselves.
This was the case for me when I first came across this prayer written by Joyce Rupp. At the time I was experiencing huge changes in my life.
Pilgrim God, there is an exodus going on in my life: desert stretches, a vast land of questions. Inside my head your promises tumble and turn. No pillar of cloud by day or fire by night that I can see. My heart hurts at leaving loved ones and so much of the security I have known. I try to give in to the stretching and the pain. It is hard God, and I want to be settled, secure, safe and sure. And here I am feeling so full of pilgrim's fear and anxiety.
O God of the journey, lift me up, press me against your cheek. Let your great love hold me and create a deep trust in me. Then set me down, God of the journey; take my hand in yours, and guide me ever so gently across the new territory of my life.
If you find this prayer expresses something of your experience at the moment, stop and pray it now.
Sheila Bridge
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