Lament

God, you are Creator of Heaven and Earth. You are the One who has suffered for us. You became man to know and live our suffering as humans. You have defeated death. You have promised to make all things new.

So where are you now? When will you come again? When will you restore the Kingdom? How can we live in this suffering day after day? How can we endure the news morning after morning of the victories of the evil one? How can we go through the motions of survival when we are scared for our lives? We can face our death, but how can we endure the difficulty of living in this chaotic world controlled by the Prince of Lies?

Aren’t you the God who saves? Aren’t you with us? Aren’t you the One who sees and knows?

Your eyes see. Your ears hear. You know the lies and injustice. We believe in your power to save. We believe you do defeat evil. We know you will win.

But how long, O Lord? How long? How can we endure? How can we enter another day, another trauma, another victory of the forces of evil pushing in against us?

Where is your mercy? (We know you are full of it.)

Where is your love? (We know you are love.)

Where is your Kingdom and Kingship? (We know it will come.)

How can we endure the wait? How can we escape the trauma in the waiting?

Our hearts are bursting with grief. We are drowning in sorrow and longing. How much more can we take?

We are a sinful people. We are drawn to the idols around us. We worship at their feet and present them with offerings made by our hands.

We are a sinful nation. We are drawn to power and riches, to wealth and health and prosperity to control and political power to entertainment and worthless things. We worship what our hands have made. We are drawn to all that glitters. We love pretending our worship to idols is worship to you.

We are sinful people who don’t know our left hand from our right. who are lost and full of confusion. We have believed the lies. Every single one.

But, O Lord.

Reveal yourself again and we will believe. Make yourself known. Call out and we will listen to your voice. Show your power and we will be faithful. Open our eyes and we will see you as Lord. Show us mercy, O God. Show us mercy!

Unless you reveal, we will not believe. Unless you proclaim, we will not know. Unless you call out, we will not hear. Unless you show your power, how can we have faith? Unless you open our eyes, we will remain blind. Unless you show us your mercy, we will be lost forever!

Show us your mercy, O Lord! Show us your Mercy!

Who can save us but you?

We can never earn it or deserve it. We can never do anything to be worthy of your love. We can never be people with lips who are clean.

But, O Lord, show us your mercy!

Call to us! Reach down your hand of compassion! Display your mighty arm! Deliver us from this evil or we will go down to the grave separated from you forever.

Give us life! Give us hope! Give us of yourself!

Is there anything we need more than you? Is there anything we need more than your Presence?

O God, show us your mercy and be with us! Be with us!

Immanuel, Come Again!

We are desperate for you. We have no other hope. No one else will come and save us.

You are it.

Wash me and I will be clean. Heal me and I will be healed. Open my eyes and I will see. Reveal yourself and I will know. Seek me and I will be found. Act.

O God, ACT!

We wait for you. We long for you. We trust in you alone to restore.

Make things NEW.

(written in response to a Trauma Healing workshop as I think about the situation in the country where we serve)