Oh Protector from Harm,
As I type these words on the same computer where I order books and blouses,
I pray that no hacker, evildoer, identity thief is gleaning my information and prying into my accounts.
I pray that the people who moved into my old home
(where my mailbox runneth over
with catalogs, instant loan opportunities, credit card offers, checking account information)
are Your disciples.
I pray they conscientiously forward, shred or burn all of those envelopes that don’t follow me here.
I pray that they consider the harm they will inflict on me, my daughter, themselves,
by setting up phony accounts, destroying my credit, buying stupid stuff that will comfort them not.
I pray, God, for all of those who have had to suffer this plague of our electronic age:
My brother, my professor, my mechanic—even Oprah—who needs our prayers just as much as anyone.
I pray that consumers learn to value the work they do
enough to discern that which they don’t need.
I know it’s selfish, Lord, but I pray that my bankcard, my AMEX card, my VISA, remains mine alone.
I pray You watch over these balances more closely than I,
More fastidiously than those expensive monitoring companies,
More scrupulously than the sentinels at KFC, Coca Cola and Roswell Area 51.
Hold these numbers, codes, access words in the palm of Your hand, dear Lord,
Just as You hold me, protected and private.