Of all my many books, few gave me more pleasure in writing than the series of books titled, respectively, Touching Down, Touched By His Hand, Heaven Touching Earth and Touching the Seasons. Each was written with one aim in mind: to relate faith to daily life, illustrating how what we see and experience in the world around us can so often speak to us of God. Take today’s prayer from Touching Down. It starts from the simple mistake of finding myself walking up a no-through road and having to retrace my steps. Life, likewise, can sometimes feel like a dead end, causing us to wonder in our bleaker moods: are we are on a road to nowhere? The prayer asks for help and guidance when such moments strike;
The cul-de-sac
There’d been so sign,
no warning –
one moment it was like any other street
and the next it just petered out:
a dead end,
a road to nowhere.
Lord,
my life feels like that sometimes.
I stride out confidently,
believing I know the best way forward,
only to be pulled up short,
stopped in my tracks by some disappointment,
problem or tragedy,
and I’m left asking, ‘What now?’
‘Why am I here?’
‘Where next?’
Speak to me, Lord,
when life seems bereft of meaning and purpose.
Direct my steps,
give light to my path
and lead me in your eternal way.
Amen.