A Lament

O Lord my spirit is not lifted up,
And in the stillness of my heart there is naught but ache.
Distance from those I love has swallowed me up,
And in the midst of Your people my utter aloneness weighs down upon me.

The void that fills my moments knows no answer,
Every second my soul drowns afresh in the sea of rejection.
While my friends are afar off, my enemies close in,
And I have no power to bring my helpers near.

In the multitude of my failures I am ashamed,
And my detractors rush in to take opportunity.
I have no strength left with which to hold them off.
I am cast down and utterly condemned.

Why, O Lord, do you keep yourself far from me?
How long will you let me suffer in the throes of self?
And yet, in this stillness, I know that You are here.
You draw near to those who draw near to You.

You wait to lift up my head.
You fill every corner of my life, my very world.
Broken freely, you make completely whole.
You provide more than could be asked.

You are my only hope, my ever-present friend and defender.
Though the world rise up against me, yet I trust your deliverance.
Even if my closest friends should fall away, still You stand beside me.
Sustain me with a heart that thirsts for, and drinks, You.