Wrestling With Sorrow

Wrestling In Sorrow

Bible Reading:

Psalm 13

PREPARED BY

KEN G EHRELS

PASTOR

CALVIN CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH

NEPEAN, ONTARIO

Wrestlin g In So rrow p.1

1 How long, O LORD?

Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

Why, God?

When our need is so desperate,

why does it seem that you turn away from us?

The darkness is so deep; as a starless midnight

We kno w you exist.

But it feels like our cries bounce off a closed door

Slammed in our face,

and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside.

Have you turned your back on us?

left us in darkness?

Long enough, Lord!

you’ve ignored us long enough.

We’ve looked at the back of your head

long enough. Long enough.

We seek Your face

Turn Your face towa rd us , and show us your g lory.

“God -- are you still there?”

"God, we’re talking to you. We’re trying to get through to you.

Can you h ear us? "

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

"How Lo ng.... Ho w Long ... How L ong.... H ow Lon g...."

Arrogant enemies

looking down their noses.

How long will You allow smug, hidden forces

to gloat over

twisted girders

shattered glass

concrete dust

and mangled bodies?

We know that faith does not exempt us from sorrow

or shield us from evil -

we know that;

BUT!!!!

The images still haunt us

The earth is wet with the blood of the innocent

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Why this ? Why now ? Why?

We try to make sense out of the horror of this week

and no sense seems to com e.

In fact, all we come up with is silence.

Some say silence is golden,

but when the silence seem s to come from you, God,

it is anything but golden.

To put it bluntly, it feels like life is about to end.

3 Look on me and answe r, O LORD m y God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

4 my enemy will say , "I have overco me him ,"

and my foes will rejoice w hen I fall.

Take a good look at us, Yahweh, our God;

We want to look life in the eye,

So no enemy can get the best of us

or laugh when we fall on our face.

We want that

- BUT -

We’re bankrupt, Lord, with no reserves.

We cannot do a nything anym ore.

We’re barely limping along, and can see no wa y out.

We feel dead inside -

walking dead,

no energy,

no drive,

no action.

just a damp, cold existence.

We’re barely limping along, and can see no wa y out.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,

for he has been good to me.

We are go ing to trust....

We’ve got to trus t, the re’s n o oth er wa y.

That’s where joy can be found.

If we ever sing again,

it will only be because of Your holy goodness.

You are the true light.

You are lif e eterna l.

You are the treasure without name

Reality beyond words

Raiser of the fallen

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Resurrection of the dead

All-powerful

Moving

You alone are our consolation.

Come, for we need your love

more than the flowe r nee ds the dew, or grass the r ain

God,

God eternal

God of Jesus

God who has said “Yes” to us

in Christ’s life, His love, His suffering, His death

God of the cross ,

crucified God,

sha ring o ur pa in

bearing o ur sin

If it were not, O God, for you

for you our lover, our judge, our hope

You our friend -

we would indeed be lost.

But because you have granted us Christ

you have give n ho pe for us all

you have prov ided joy at the end of trava il

Fill our lives with His grace.

Weld o ur souls to th e st eel o f His sou l.

Help us to see your love at work in darkest places,

and to recognize your glory in tiny victories.

So look, Lord..... right at us!

Drive the darkness of our souls away

before the beams of Your brightness.

For only then, we you hear and when you answer

When you come to be - fully - with us

Only then shall our longing be satisfied

And our peace be made perfect.