Prayer to the God of the Journey

I just came across this, and thought it was gold. Maybe a bit related to my previous post.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going, I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you, and I hope I have the desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always… I will not fear, for you are ever with me.

– Thomas Merton

Elijah’s despair, God’s provision

In my daily reading plan (which I’m almost a month behind in) I recently came across the story of 1 Kings 19. A sobering story to put all the various troubles my life has had in perspective. I’ve always wondered whether my faith would receive a boost should God do something visible or audible for me that was unmistakably him, whether the spectacular signs shown to Moses and his followers in the desert or the “gentle whisper” given to Elijah. Then, coincidentally (or not?), a in a book I’ve been reading recently, I came across a suggestion that the real translation of what Elijah heard should in fact be “silence”, which is interesting given that’s what I pretty much hear every time I pray and listen for him too, but there must have been something tremendously encouraging for the faith of the prophet in what happened there. What does this say to me? Maybe that the things I might expect to see God in, are things he is not necessarily in or saying anything to me with – like Elijah’s fire, wind and earthquake. Maybe it’s that God and his plan will really only be found with dedicated and earnest seeking by faith. Also maybe (and this is the part I really don’t like) it is saying that by human nature this kind of seeking mostly tends to come as a result of crisis and despair in life. I’m not really comfortable with this, since it would appear to give some purpose and legitimacy to suffering (certainly I hope to never be in a position like Elijah found himself in!), but maybe it’s at least legitimate to say that seeking God is a far better response to it than running from him and abandoning faith. I’ve been trying to listen hard lately, time will tell where this goes.

 

Last flight of Endeavour

One of the things I’ve enjoyed recently is following the NASA Space Shuttle mission dubbed STS-134, both via live streaming of NASA TV (including a live view of the launch) and the many video highlights packages. It was the second last of the shuttle program and the last for the newest vehicle, Endeavour, which visited the International Space Station. All the daily mission recap videos on the NASA website are worth seeing as they reveal a great deal not only about the experience of space flight, but the real personalities of the people involved for whom it’s definitely not all intense work and no play. But to start with, check out this visually spectacular and awe-inspiring piece here.

If you are at all interested in this stuff, it will be well worth logging on and following Atlantis as it blasts off for the final time. If I can edit slightly (improve even?) the words of STS-134 commander Mark Kelly – “It is in the DNA of our great humanity to reach for the stars and explore. We must not stop”.