As I suggested in a Facebook post on Sunday evening, I walked the prayer trail this morning. Spiritually it was a moving experience—one that I want to share with you today. 

Before I speak about my walk through the woods, let’s back up. . . Shortly before we finished working with Ray on his Eagle project, it began to rain very hard. A gentle rumble in the distance foretold of what was to come. Quickly we gathered our tools, unplugged the power cords, and filled vehicles quickly and efficiently. The sky was a shade of dark gray that told us that time was up. The hard rain came before long. 

The rain that fell helped the ground settle around the prayer trail and created a cool environment to walk among. Pausing at the first post to re-read the “Nepal” version of the Lord’s Prayer, I noticed the lingering effects of a storm. The air was cool and wet. I read the words of the prayer out loud and noticed how they sounded to my ear. Then it was on to the next post where a bench greeted me—a bench that was damp. 

I sat for a moment after reading the next phrase and thanked God for His presence and the work of the Eagle Scout Project that was privileged to help out with. 

As I walked up to the bridge, and crunched the limestone that now sits before each side, I noticed the stability of the bridge. It felt safe under me feet and I was glad. If you remember a year ago I fell off that bridge while walking Luna. I hit my shin so hard that I thought that I broke the bone. The moss which grew on that old bridge made it like walking on ice. This new bridge was clean and strong.

Around the remainder of the trail I went stopping by each posts with a new white sign displaying a new phrase from the Lord’s Prayer. As I finished the trail I walked it again duplicating my process and prayer. This became my morning devotional time. I communed with God and thanked Him for the ability to help someone complete their dream and achieve their goal. I thanked God for the outpouring of support from the church families who worked very hard this weekend with Ray. I was grateful for the Boy Scouts who were able to learn from Ray some skills that they will be able to grow. 

Finally I thanked God for Ray Walter. 

I remembered young Ray coming to be at one of my first VBS programs here at Plains with his scout compass in a small wooden box. He wanted to share with me how it worked and together we wondered about sharing that compass with the 125+ kids of the VBS program. I saw the anxiety in Ray’s eyes as he gently spoke into the microphone one night and talked about how his compass worked. He told the kids that it would help them find our true destination if they used it properly. (This was part of the theme of our GPS-VBS program and fit nicely into the lessons). 

Remembering a timid young boy, I thanked God for the young man whose vision was completely thought out, completely planned and executed this past weekend. These memories were with me as I walked a third time through the trail and headed to the office a little before 9 to start my morning. 

We don’t often know what the effect will be when we step out in faith and follow someone’s lead. As Jennifer, JonMark, Emma and I walked to the trail on Saturday morning just before 8am, I had no idea how the day would go. But being able to participate in the work on Saturday helped me in my devotions today. 

Perhaps there is a chance today for you to be present and helpful in someone else’s life. I wonder what blessing you might discover because you offered yourself to help a friend or a neighbor? God might just have something special for you, if you are wiling to try?

Blessings

Rev. Derek