Praying on the Run

I pray while I run. I run often, five or six days a week, usually for distances ranging from four to eight miles each day. I run on trails that, while paved, traverse hills. Animals also cross these trails. On a recent run, I encountered a family of screaming humans whose recreational walk had been halted by a snake slithering slowly across the trail. The trail runs along a narrow ridge between a river and man-made ponds. For these reasons, I run and pray with my eyes open. I thank God for the beautiful environment he created. Majestic trees form a canopy over much of the trail. Cardinals, mallard ducks, and herons fly and swim alongside it. Beavers work in the ponds; squirrels and rabbits scurry along the trail's edges. I pray for my wife and our children. I pray for our nation, especially for our leaders and about issues confronting our military. I pray that soldiers may serve with integrity; I pray that God also will help me to do so. I pray for those who disrupt our national life with crime, terror, and slander, asking that their hearts may change. I pray that I may serve with an attitude of wanting God's will done, even when it does not match my own desires. Sometimes it is hard to imagine a Venn diagram that accurately depicts the relationship of my will to God's will. If I think I have the details mastered, but promote God's will with hatefulness and arrogance, I hurt myself, and others as well. I pray while I run. When do you pray?