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The truth is, Lord,
– at least from my perspective –
the truth is that you’re
– at least from my perspective –
the truth is that you’re
unpredictable, inconsistent,
kind to some but not to others,
curiously unfair
kind to some but not to others,
curiously unfair
and generally slow in returning calls…
That is, often,
– again, from my perspective –
how I see you…
I never know just what you’ll do next
or what you’ll decline to do
or, frankly, if you really do much of anything at all!
Yes, there are times when it seems
when you’re right by my side
and have my back
but there are other times
but there are other times
when I just can’t seem to find you:
it’s like you’ve gone away…
it’s like you’ve gone away…
And, true enough,
I do see signs of your kindness
almost everywhere I turn
– but –
– but –
I also see illness and pain,
injustice and poverty
crime and abuse,
terrorism and war…
I see many who hunger, many who thirst
for a sign of your love, a touch of your care
in the midst of their hardships,
for a sign of your love, a touch of your care
in the midst of their hardships,
their worries and fears
– and it just seems so unfair, Lord,
so often so unfair…
All this, Lord, and still
I pray, I ask, I plead
– but as I said,
– but as I said,
you’re slow in returning my calls…
I still believe in you, Lord,
even when I don’t understand you,
when I find it near impossible
to discern the frustrating mystery
of how you move and act in my life
even when I don’t understand you,
when I find it near impossible
to discern the frustrating mystery
of how you move and act in my life
and in the world at large…
I still believe, Lord,
that you’re perfect
in every possible way;
that you are faithful
in all your words and deeds;
that you never, even for a moment,
forget my name or leave my side;
and that your generous kindness
waits for all your sons and daughters…
It’s just that from my perspective, Lord,
things sometimes, even often,
look pretty much upside down,
turned around and inside out…
So, help me, Lord, when I’m confused
and guide me when I’m lost;
reveal the things I fail to see,
and show me how you move in me
and in the world around me…
All this I’ll pray, Lord
until there comes the time when
until there comes the time when
– even from my limited perspective –
I come to know you as you are:
my loving, generous, merciful God,
my Savior and Redeemer…
I come to know you as you are:
my loving, generous, merciful God,
my Savior and Redeemer…
Amen.
