Often the Lord and I visit as I walk. I’m beginning to think of my prayer walks as prayer stories and the following arose from one of those stories.

It was a clear sky and warm day as I walked home from work, praying, as is my custom, and attempting to find that place in the heart where one connects with the Spirit. Like many, I can become distracted easily from prayer. Our world is filled with distractions, from political chaos to the latest update on social media, or urgent texts from friends (that aren’t urgent at all, but when the phone ‘dings!’ we just have to see what it is!). On this particular walk, my mind was on a tangent thinking about injustice. My heart was unsettled, my mind spiraling in a useless inner tirade of anger. Every few minutes, I would remind myself that I was supposed to be praying. Yet, even my attempts at prayer were mere extensions of my distraction.

“But, Lord you don’t understand, these people are—”

The breeze picked up and the Spirit whispered, “Be still, let go, and know that I am God.”

I breathed in deeply. “Lord, have mercy on me,” I replied. “I get so caught up in all these outward things. Help me to see you…to hear you…to find my home in you.”