Empty Prayers or Faith in Action

Pray. Wait. Trust. Is that really what God calls us to do?

Placard in Store Window, photo by the author

Eight years ago, in 2017, at the age of 67, I took a very long walk… 900 miles in 90 days, to be exact, from Southern California back home to the Central Oregon Coast. My memoire, TREK: My Peace Pilgrimage in Search of a Kinder America amounts to a daily journal of that unforgettable adventure.

I know what you’re probably wondering.

And, the answer is, “Yes.” Even in a country seemingly growing dumber and meaner, the vast majority of the folks I met along the way were nice. Most were kind. And a surprising number were extremely generous.

Many of them purported to be persons of faith. Several self-identified Christians took it upon themselves to testify, to make sure, before they sent me on my way, that I’d heard the good news.

Some others demonstrated their faith purely through magnanimous actions. Oh, certainly, most of them made their beliefs evident, with that framed picture of Jesus on the wall, the crucifix on the mantel, the Bible centerpiece on the kitchen table, or a throw pillow embroidered with a favorite Gospel quotation on the couch.

One particularly generous fellow couldn’t let me go before handing me a tiny book entitled Who…