A Lament from One Who Feels Far From God

A Lament from One Who Feels Far From God

On Tuesday morning CCS students explored the biblical tradition of lament – bringing our pain before God in all its rawness, anger, and grief.  As part of the session they wrote modern laments based on their own experiences or the experiences of people they know and work with.  The following lament was written by a group thinking about someone who had suffered a stroke and felt isolated and separate from God.

God of Yesterday
I lie here daily in a prison I used to call a home
Unable to do the things I used to enjoy
Trapped within myself with no way out

I knew you on my wedding day and on the days my children were born
I knew you as I raised my daughters and sons
Until now you have walked beside me
God where are you now
Why can I no longer see or feel your presence
Come be with me or let me join you by your side

God I have all these memories of living in this world
But now when my church family visit I cannot stomach them
All the things that I cherished leave a sour taste in me
Why God

I have no enemies but my own body
I am at war against a foe I cannot fight
The days march on endlessly with me bound in this infirmity

You have heard my prayers in the past
Will you come to me today?
I will take your broken body in fellowship knowing that you hear me
In the hope that once again I can recognize you as the God of yesterday and all my days