stillness

Heavenly Father,
Why is it
that I cannot be still before you?
I'm always thinking
or planning
or trying to get comfortable
The last - why am I not like the Celtics,
who would stand in the icy river,
denying their bodies comfort until they heard
from You.
Or the Hebrews,
who would fast, wear sackcloths and heap
ashes upon their heads, until they heard
from You.
Should I care for my physical desires,
for my comfort, when I seek You?
With how much more earnestness did they seek You?
With how much more of their heart?
Can I not do the same?
What good have the ages hence brought?
We still fear wars, death, and disease -
a bit more sterilized perhaps
Pushing a button to launch a weapon of
mass destruction does not tear at the heartstrings.
Are we then, O Lord, any better off?
What you have revealed to us, we have misused.
Forgive us, Lord,
For your mercy is great.
But, more importantly,
aid us in turning from our ways.
Help us not to ignore
Your delicate touch.
Sensitize us,
Defragment us,
Unite us,
Excite us,
Chastise us,
Reconcile us,
Turn us,
Do not turn from us.
We cry out
but we cannot hear ourselves
above our busy lives.
Quiet us, O Lord.
Return us to solitude and find us there,
meet us there.
Restore our wonder, our awe
so we may truly sing
"Alleluia! Our God is an
Awesome God, an
Aweful God, a
terrible, terrifying, mysterious
exciting, wonderful God!"
Your thunder, Lord, may well be what
we need - may we turn
before the lightning strike!