A Prayer for Walking

Taking a step into written prayer

I'm learning to pray with my feet. And my pen.

For most of my life, I haven’t enjoyed much of a prayer ritual. But two years ago I began feeling called into a more spiritual life. I might write about this journey in the future. As I neared finishing writing The Body Issue in February 2023, I felt a deep sense of “I have addressed matters of my body; it is now time to approach matters of the spirit.” But after a year of spiritual awakening, I still hadn’t prayed much. So the next thing I did was ask readers for their Prayer, Meditation and Mindfulness Practices. 

Your practices and ideas proved inspiring and helpful as I sought to begin praying. And yet, I still struggled. I would say words, but I felt nothing. The words, the act of praying didn’t stir my soul, not even a twitch. 

Last summer, with the encouragement of some writing friends, I tried an experiment. I began writing out my prayers daily. For me, writing has made an enormous difference. Even with simple prayers of gratitude for daily gifts, even for entreaties for health and strength for ill friends, I feel the prayer reaching out from me, higher and higher still. I feel the reverberations in my heart. And I feel my spirit uplifted. 

I wanted to attempt a more formal prayer, or perhaps one I could edit and improve over a course of time. And that I could repeat silently and aloud as part of my own prayer moments into the future.

You can read one of my earliest efforts below: “A Prayer for Walking.” May it uplift you on a step in your life today. 

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A Prayer for Walking

Lord —

Will you walk a step with me today?
Will you walk through the dark, mysterious forest?
Will you walk beside the fast-flowing river?
Will you walk up the wind-pummeled mountain?

Will you walk a step with me today?

When I can no longer walk, will you crawl with me?
When I can no longer crawl, will you sit with me?
When I can no longer sit, will you lie down with me?
When I can no longer lie down, will you die with me?

At last, I will walk every step with you.

But will you walk a step with me today?

Amen

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Photography by Russell Smith with the Halide camera on iPhone.