To me, prayer shouldn’t be separate from daily life, but should arise spontaneously from it, inspired by the ordinary sights, sounds and experiences that surround us. That was the raison d’être behind my series of books, Touched By His Hand, Touching Down, Touching the Seasons and Heaven Touching Earth, supplemented by Calling Mars and Calling Venus, both written at the suggestion of Kevin Mayhew and aimed specifically at men and women respectively. In the following, for example, taken from Touched By His Hand, the sight of a traffic warden patrolling the streets leads on to thoughts concerning God’s guidance, and whether we are happy to obey.
The traffic warden
He moved slowly down the street,
scribbling in his notebook
and occasionally issuing a ticket . . .
and passers-by eyed him uneasily,
a few scurrying anxiously back to their cars,
looking furtively over their shoulders
as if they suspected him of giving chase.
For many he was the enemy –
resented,
feared,
loathed –
but he was just an ordinary person
doing what he was paid to do,
and without him chaos would swiftly follow,
roads dangerously snarled up with traffic,
everyone the loser.
Lord, I see you sometimes as a setter and enforcer of rules,
and I don’t always like obeying them –
not when they clash with personal gratification
or demand more of me than I’d like to give –
yet you give them for my benefit rather than yours,
so that all can enjoy your blessings
and live life to the full.
Teach me, then,
not to fear you as one rigidly imposing law
but, freely, gladly and gratefully, to honour your will.
Amen.