a blessing for when you feel lonely
by Kate Bowler
o God, i can’t shake this feeling
that deep loneliness is my new normal.
i need someone walking with me,
whose eyes see what mine do,
whose ears are open to hear my thoughts
and whose heart delights to share their own.
o God, come quickly,
it is too hard to do this alone.
God have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Spirit have mercy.
o God, blessed are we who call to you for help
when life’s solitary candle burns too low.
you know our frame
you remember we are dust.
tell me it was not for nothing, that we were made!
o Christ of highest heaven, you knew full well
what it was like to lose the bliss of perfect love
when you came to be with us, to live and die as one of us,
bereft and forsaken
i lift my face to you and ask that with those pierced hands
you would hold me, and trace each tear to its source
O God heal me, restore me, and provide for me.
blessed are we, o God, who ask
and discover that you have already gone before
to satisfy us with your love,
and fill us with good things.
keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me under the shadow of your wings
Psalm 17:8
God have mercy
Christ have mercy
Spirit have mercy
you shall no longer be called forsaken, nor your land called desolate,
Isaiah 62:4
but you shall be called “My delight is in her.”
your name is beloved. open your hands in thanksgiving.
receive the gift of God for you.