Father, gracious Father,
I seek your face.
Why do you hide when I need you most?
My soul yearns for you with the passion of a thousand tears;
yet the fears that mar your handiwork
are years of pain and bitterness that I cannot undo.

I remember, long ago, you woke me up—
you breathed into my lungs new life.
And for a while, I danced on clouds
and made my home in a cradle of stars,
I gasped with each sunset the Creator painted…
each stroke of your brush
a glimpse of your love.
And I kissed the tearless faces below
with tales of the glorious hope that you brought
to me.

But now, Lord, my head is bowed
with grief; my eyes are
sunken in despair.
I am hopeless in a maze of worry;
pain is my heartbeat and fear is my pulse.
I can’t find the strength to look up and find you.
I’m stricken and I'm helpless.
I’m parched, Lord, and empty, for I’m waiting in the desert.
forsaken in this wilderness,
this land of death that yields not
a single drop
for me.

Is all lost?

I look to the skies,
but they do not answer—
the heavens,
but all is dark.
In despair, I fall to my knees and
weep.

But even as I falter
when I cannot pull my breath
you grasp my hand and lift me.
I feel your gentle touch upon my forehead—
cool with peace.
My ears tingle with your tender whisper:

“My child,
why do you weep?
I have covered you with the blood of my Son
yet you think you're the only one
who can save you?
Remember that I've paid your debt—
you're free...
in me.”

Father, gracious Father,
merciful Savior, lover of my soul…
you are my oasis where the living water flows.
Breathless, gasping with awe
at the cascading cataracts thundering
deep into the ground, I fall
to my knees, my hands are cupped as
heavenly dew slips through my fingers.

Father, you are my life;
when I am weary, you carry me;
when I am thirsty, you give me water;
when my heart aches, you give me peace.
Lord, help me to remember your faithfulness.
When you do not answer—when you are silent and I cannot hear you—
remind me of your goodness and your constancy.

Your grace is sufficient for me,
Your mercies are new every morning,
for when I am weak,
you make me strong.