“O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer 10:23).
The headlines of the UK’s Daily Mail article announced: “Imam discovers worshippers at his mosque in Turkey have been praying in the wrong direction for 37 years.” According to Islam, prayers should always be toward Mecca, but the mosque in the town of Sugoren had been built on the ruins of an earlier one, and the niche (mihrab) had been wrongly placed, resulting in them praying 33 degrees off the mark as far back as anyone can remember. The new imam resolved the issue going forward by taping lines at the proper angle so worshippers can now direct their prayers toward the Kaaba in Mecca. Our condolences to these dear Muslims.
And with what joy we declare that the Lord who is everywhere receives our prayers from any direction, and in fact gives us direction: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Ps 32:8).