a prayer for the road © marge griswold-scheiding

Creator of all Good Things,

please watch over us, fools that we are, traveling on two wheels;

four wheels and a shell around us might be safer, we know, as it is for other travelers,

but we long for other things, Lord...the open road, the sky above us,

the moon at night, the stars, and the rush of the wind past us as we ride bring us closer to You.

Lord, you have blessed us with an appreciation for another kind of freedom,

another way of enjoying Your creation, and we thank You for that.

We show our appreciation by riding mindfully and carefully,

and if we may be of help to others on the road, we'll do what we can.

You have blessed us with good roads, Lord; how we do enjoy them--

each winding turn and rolling hill increases our skill and brings us joy--

  but the back-breakers test our endurance and make us stronger,

so we give You thanks for them, as well.

We see the beauty of the countryside and see Your majesty there;

we wonder at the creatures which live there and try to ride that they might remain safe

and ask Your protection when we ride at night,

that Your creatures not occupy at the same time the path that we do.

 

Please, Lord, give us patience when motorists crowd us,

grant us tolerance for roads-under-construction

(we'll get to enjoy those, too, some day...)

and help us to not grumble when faced with foul weather.

We will try at all times to appreciate the many blessings you have bestowed upon us,

to do our best not to take them for granted,

and each time we prepare to hit the road once more

help us to remember You are the source of all the good things we enjoy.