Pursued by Pilgrims

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 (NRSV) 

In December, a group from our church gathered for a walk in one of the county forest preserves, ten miles along a snowy Des Plaines River. 

But when we pulled into the park, we realized we weren’t alone. Hundreds of horses lined the street being brushed and braided for a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Ten miles away. Along our same trail. Leaving in half an hour. 

It was now or never. As the leader, I imagined a miserable day of trying to walk single file at the trail’s edge, dodging the droppings of 500 horses. So I urged the group on. If we walked fast, we might get three miles in before they caught us. 

But three miles came and went, and they were nowhere to be seen. Then four. At five, a cyclist passed us saying, “There are lots of horses behind you.” But we never saw them. 

Around mile eight, I slowed, almost disappointed we hadn’t gotten to be part of the procession. I realized how tense I’d been all morning, driven on by a threat that failed to materialize. 

And I wondered: How often do I live in that anxiety, pursued by a danger that never arrives? What if I used that fear, as Paul suggests, not as a cue to run, but as a cue to pray? 

Prayer
God, stop my anxious rushing on so that I may be caught by you.