Lord, you know me better than anyone else does
– you know me better than I know myself…
you knew who my parents would be,
you knew the day of my birth,
you knew my blood type and the color of my eyes,
the shape of my head, my ears, my nose
and the look of my face…
and you loved me even then…
and yet you leave me free to think as freely as I like…
– and the thoughts I try to keep from myself…
my pipe dreams and my serious plans…
Even while I’m sleeping you know my mind:
you know my dreams – and you understand them!
And you know my nightmares, Lord,
and the fears I carry from sleep to the light of day…
You know my schemes and designs,
and the thoughts I’m embarrassed
you know my loves and my lust,
my generosity and my greed,
my selfless and my selfish sides…
You know my strengths and my weaknesses,
my good deeds and my sins,
my true resolve and my half-baked promises…
You know the truth of who I am, Lord,
and you know the lies I tell myself and others
– and the lies I try to tell you…
You know every broken piece of my life
and just where I need your mending hand,
your healing help…
You know everywhere I’ve been, Lord:
how I’ve followed and how I’ve failed
You know where I am,
and you know where I’m going,
though both are often a mystery to me…
You know that I love you, Lord,
you know when and how and why
I often love you less than I could…
And still, you love me, Lord,
and of my neighbor and myself…
You know me inside-out and try as I might,
there’s no hiding from your watchful eye,
no running from your embrace;
there’s no escaping your arms’ long reach
– no matter where I run –
I might do better on my own…
You know and call the stars by name, Lord,
but there’s so much more to know in each of us,
In the quiet of my prayer, Lord, call me by name:
let my heart hear your voice
and know your love…
And as I learn your love, so shape my heart
to know and love you in return…
In my prayer, Lord, teach me:
to love as I am loved,
and to know you as I’m known;
to find my deepest joy in you
who know me oh-s0-well
– and yet, you love me still…
Amen.
