Gravel - The Lord’s Prayer

“Dad, you should get a gravel bike,” my youngest son said to me in the garage.

“What is a gravel bike?” I asked.

“It’s a bike made for riding on the dirt roads you have all around here. There are miles and miles of them. And there is hardly any traffic. It’s the perfect place to ride. You would love it, and they make bikes just for them,” he answered.

Despite all the sage advice to purchase your bike at a real bike shop, I ordered a green one online. Several days later, Darrin, the guy who drives the brown UPS truck past our house every day, dropped it off in a box. Made in Vietnam was printed on the banged-up cardboard. I was in Vietnam when I still lived at home with my parents. Well, virtually, it was on the TV every night at 6 PM. It was a place of misery and death. Now they make green gravel bikes there. Things change.

I love this kind of project. I get to use all the cool tools I’ve been collecting my whole life. Some of them my dad collected, and now I have them to enjoy.

There were no instructions except for the QR code. It seems you need a smartphone in your tool collection these days. Things change.

An afternoon is invested. An unbelievably lightweight mechanical marvel of a gravel bike is ready to go. I noticed that my new shoes, which are necessary for using the weird little clip-in pedals, were made in China. I have a bright yellow jacket that says Patagonia, but I think it came from Texas. With strobe lights flashing, fore and aft, I went for my first ride.

The Black River Bridge at Custer Road in Sanilac County.

I’ve been riding this thing quite a lot for over a year now. Riding has become a time of prayer for me. I change too.

It takes a couple of miles to warm up and calm down. I know my cadence should be 75 rpm or maybe a bit more. It’s hard to pedal that fast at the beginning. But after a couple of miles, it becomes easy, and even feels a little awkward pedaling slower than 75. It’s equally hard to get connected to God with a prayer during the calm-down miles as well. But around mile 2 or 3, my mind quiets down and my body gets the rhythm. The sound of crunching gravel and the endless farmland fill the senses. My smartphone, attached to the handlebars, displays 78 for the cadence. Prayer time.

Our Father who art in heaven. You are my one and only God. I will tolerate no idols in my life who want to jump in front of you.

I love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I love you with everything I have. I’m in awe of you, I fear you, I respect you. You are my God. I am one of your people. You deserve my praise and my worship because I praise what I love, and I love what I praise.

Thank you, God, for my life. For my ability to ride this bike at the age of 70. It’s amazing that I can even do it and feel good at the same time. I know these are my bonus years, and I want to be paying attention to you regarding what I should be doing with them. What a blessing this really is. I’m so thankful. My heart is full of gratitude. You have given me a long and wonderful life. And you're not done! I’m listening to you for what you would have me do with this additional day, today.

I shift down for the slight hill in front of me. I look at the red fox running in the field right over there. Wow. God, I’m thankful for that sight. Amazing.

Hallowed be Thy name. You are the holy one.

Thy kingdom come. Lord, I pray that thy kingdom come in my life. I mean, I pray that it continues to come. Your kingdom come in my marriage. Give my wife a day of peace and joy. Bless our relationship. Help me know how to best be her husband today.

Thy kingdom come in the lives of my sons and their families. You have been answering my prayers mightily in that area. I’m astonished at what you have done. I shouldn’t be astonished. Lord, I believe and I trust you. I trust you. I trust you. I trust that your kingdom continues to come in their lives. Continue to draw them closer to you. As they bind love and kindness around them, give them wisdom. Give them favor in their workplaces. Favor with those above them, below them, and next to them. Prosper them and provide for them.

Thy kingdom come in the lives of my grandchildren, Lord. I thank you that you are and will bless them, care for them. Make your love for them known to them. Make your will for them known to them too. I thank you that you will bless them and their children and their children’s children for a thousand generations. They are such a blessing to their Papa and their Oma. Wow, my cup is overflowing.

Thy kingdom come on Lake Street, where I live. Help me be a light to my neighbors who you love, but they don’t love you. Yet. Help me know exactly how and when to nudge them toward the knowing of you and your kingdom.

Thy kingdom come in my church community. Continue to pour out your anointing on my pastors and the leadership there. Give us your wisdom for the church. Thank you for giving us such a place. I join Jesus in His prayer for unity in our community.

Thy kingdom come in my town, in my state, and in my country. I pray for wisdom for our government and its leaders in Washington and Lansing. I pray that you will lovingly steer us as a nation to be a place where your kingdom thrives.

Your kingdom come in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Russia, in Israel, in Iran, in the Sudan. Your kingdom come, where war rages and people suffer.

Your kingdom come and Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, but not too much bread. Lord, you have always met all of my needs. Give me today what I need, again. Help me know how to best share what you have blessed me with.

Forgive my sins, Lord. You have reminded me of many of them on these bike rides. Many that I have totally forgotten about. Some that have left a trail of incredible damage. I’m sorry, and I repent for those sins. I pray for those whom I have hurt. I pray that they can forgive me and that you will restore the damage left in the wake behind me.

I forgive those who have trespassed against me. Thank you, Lord, that my mind does not dwell on the sins against me. I choose to walk in forgiveness. Thank you for giving me opportunities to exercise my forgiveness muscle. Bring to my mind your command to forgive at every irritation. Thank you for nudging me to be more and more like Jesus in this regard.

Lord, lead me not into temptation. I thank you that at my age, the many temptations of this life no longer hold any sway with me. May this be so for all of us.

Deliver me from evil. Satan, I come against you in prayer. I resist you. You must flee from all my affairs and the affairs of my family. You must flee from my sons and their families. You will have no influence within my sphere of influence.

Thank you, God, for giving me this time and place to pray. Thank you for these peaceful, endless, gravel roads and the health in my body that allows me to enjoy them in this way. Thank you for all the food that is growing out here. Thank you for that dairy farm odor that, with a bit of patience, will result in ice cream.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and all the glory.

Help me love my neighbor as myself, which is sometimes not easy for me. I will trust you to help me make it so.

Amen