Traveling Mercies

Lord God,
please please please please
let our flight to Cincinnati
leave tonite.
Please.
Amen.

Providence Prayer

Abba, thank you that on this sojourn
of thousands of miles
and multiple flights
and buses
and train,
of dozens of pilgrims
and scores of meals
we haven't missed a flight
or lost a bag
or gotten lost
or suffered a theft
or even gotten sick.
Thank you for safety,
comfort,
cleanliness,
kindness,
and all the things
that could have gone wrong
and inconvenienced us even slightly,
but didn't.

Your great kindness
has been a great blessing.

Amen.

(photo is of women baking bread at a restaurant in Cairo)

Nile Prayer

Lord God Adonai,
make my life a Nile River
of blessing
and supply
and fruitfulness
from you.

Save me from the Sahara
of living independently of you,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Thanks in Amman

Thank you, Lord, for safe travel,
for successful connections,
for arrived luggage,
fir the replenishment of food
and sleep
and prayer,
amen.

A Prayer of Bruce Cockburn

Lord of the starfields,
Ancient of Days,
Universe Maker,
Here's a song in your praise.

Wings of the storm cloud,
Beginning and end,
You make my heart leap
Like a banner in the wind.

O love that fires the sun,
Keep me burning.

Lord of the starfields,
Sower of life,
Heaven and earth are
Full of your light.

Voice of the nova,
Smile of the dew,
All of our yearning
Only comes home to you.

O love that fires the sun,
keep me burning.

My Psalm 112

I praise you, LORD.
I have been so blessed
by men and women who fear you
and find great delight in his commands.

I am blessed to be among them now,
to be one of those who fears you
and loves your Word.

Oh, Lord, please
make my children mighty in the land;
let the next generation be blessed
beyond my wildest dreams.

Grant them true wealth
and enduring riches;
let the walls of their homes be adorned
with righteousness.

Let your light dawns in their lives,
and dispel all darkness for them.
Make them gracious and compassionate and righteous.
Make them generous and anxious to give.
Make them just in all their affairs.

Let them never be shaken;
give them a sterling reputation.
Save them from rumor and gossip.
Make their hearts steadfast, always trusting in you.
Make them confident and fearless.
Give them victory over every enemy, every obstacle.
Bless their efforts on behalf of the poor
and needy
and sick.
And give them influence and honor,
for your name's sake.

Let the wicked look at them and be vexed,
wondering at the blessings of the righteous,
in Jesus' name, amen.

Another Twitturgies Prayer

Thank you God for fires that refine;
roadblocks that force a re-think ;
trials that return a ten-fold crop.

Amen.

(A Twitturgies prayer)

My Psalm 111

LORD, my God, I praise you.
I extol you with all my heart,
unashamedly,
wherever I may be,
in the midst of your people
or among those who don't yet know you.

Your works are great, Lord.
Eye-popping.
Breathtaking.
Awe-inspiring.
Mind-boggling.
The more I think on them,
the more I delight in them.

Everything you do is glorious and majestic,
and your righteousness never ends.

You cause your wonders to be remembered:
you repeat them day after day,
in my life and in the world around me.

You are gracious and compassionate.
You provide food for those who fear you;
you keep all your promises.

You give your people plenty of reasons to acknowledge your works.
You have given us far more than we ever deserved.

Your works are faithful and just;
your precepts are trustworthy.

They remain true for ever and ever,
proven over and over again.

You have redeemed me, Lord,
for which I can never stop praising you.
You have kept your covenant with me,
and with all who trust you.
Holy and awesome is your name.

Submission to you is the beginning of wisdom;
following you is Health 101.
To you belong eternal praise.
Amen.