What is “The Golden Road”?

The title “The Golden Road” is taken from the well-known fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm, “The Water of Life”.

In the course of his adventures, the prince had rescued a beautiful princess, who was willing to wait a year for him while he returned to his father, and then their wedding was to be celebrated and he would obtain a great kingdom…The princess, however, had a road made up to her palace which was quite bright and golden, and told her people that whosoever came riding straight along it to her, would be the right wooer and was to be admitted, and whoever rode by the side of it, was not the right one, and was not to be admitted. As the time was now close at hand, the eldest brother thought he would hasten to go to the King's daughter, and give himself out as her deliverer, and thus win her for his bride, and the kingdom to boot. Therefore he rode forth, and when he arrived in front of the palace, and saw the splendid golden road, he thought, it would be a sin and a shame if he were to ride over that, and turned aside, and rode on the right side of it. But when he came to the door, the servants told him that he was not the right man, and was to go away again. Soon after this the second brother set out, and when he came to the golden road, and his horse had put one foot on it, he thought, it would be a sin and a shame to tread a piece of it off, and he turned aside and rode on the left side of it, and when he reached the door, the attendants told him he was not the right one, and he was to go away again. When at last the year had entirely expired, the third son likewise wished to ride out of the forest to his beloved, and with her forget his sorrows. So he set out and thought of her so incessantly, and wished to be with her so much, that he never noticed the golden road at all. So his horse rode onwards up the middle of it, and when he came to the door, it was opened and the princess received him with joy, and said he was her deliverer, and lord of the kingdom, and their wedding was celebrated with great rejoicing.

I have chosen the phrase “The Golden Road” to describe the path of prayer. As I have shown in my article, The Path of Prayer, prayer is a journey, an adventurous journey, and, like the prince in our tale, we can only tread it when the gaze of our heart is fixed on our Beloved. As we go forward along the golden road, we will become His beloved disciples, and we, too,

will see no one with us but only Jesus.