Writers note: As I faced writing these prayers, all that kept resonating through my mind was the hymn, “O God, Why Are You Silent” written by Marty Haugen and found in the Evangelical Lutheran Worship. The words of the first two verses resound in my breaking heart (it can be sung to any 7676D hymn tune):
O God, why are you silent? I cannot hear your voice; the proud and strong and violent all claim you and rejoice; you promised you would hold me with tenderness and care. Draw near, O Love, enfold me, and ease the pain I bear.
My hope lies bruised and battered, my wounded heart is torn; my spirit spent and shattered by life’s relenting storm; Will you not bend to hear me, my cries from deep within? Have you no word to cheer me when night is closing in?
Holy One, Bringer of Peace, perhaps the truth is that you are not silent though we hear the sounds of a Russia perpetrated war in Ukraine, inflicting untold trauma on children; and in the Rafah refugee camp in Palestine, where assaults from Israel wounded over 300, killing four women and fifteen children; and as China threatens military action on Taiwan; and in Afghanistan, where displaced millions live in abject poverty due to decades of war and the oppressive government of the Taliban; and in Sri Lanka, where the government is using extreme force against those peacefully protesting over the severe economic crisis there.
Draw near, O Love, enfold me, and ease the pain I bear.
Holy One, Giver of Truth, perhaps the hard truth is not that you do not hear us, but that so much of what is happening to our planet which you have lovingly created is due to our failure to care for it wisely and well, resulting in: wildfires in California, United States, and in the Gironde region of France, with thousands evacuated from their homes; and the drought and extreme heat in Europe, with one of the hottest summers ever recorded; and the record-low sea ice in Antarctica; and a 5-day polluting oil depot fire in Cuba which has resulted in the death of one firefighter and seventeen missing, and 121 injured, as well as fouling the air and water; and the alarming flash floods in Pakistan, in Seoul, South Korea, and in Kentucky, USA.
Draw near, O Lord, enfold me, and ease the pain I bear.
Holy One, Divine Healer, perhaps the truth is not that you are silent, but that we humans think we know what is best and how to fix it. The monkeypox is spreading worldwide. A boat filled with migrants has sunk off Greece, with twenty-nine. rescued and dozens missing. The presidential election in Kenya has drawn the lowest voter turnout since independence, with fears that violence may erupt when the result is announced. The plight of a sick Beluga whale trapped in the River Seine in France, freed by the work of eighty people, now has had to be euthanized.
Draw near, O Lord, enfold me, and ease the pain I bear.
Holy One, Source of Hope, perhaps the truth is not that you are hidden from us, but that we fail to open our eyes to see your presence in our world: as Muslims marked the holy day of Ashura this week; as the women’s chess team of India wins the first medal for that country in the Chess Olympiad; as the COVID infection rate is falling worldwide; as tennis great, Venus Williams, talks of her retirement and desire to expand her family, after an incredible ground-breaking career.
Draw near, O Lord, enfold me, and ease the pain I bear.
May pain draw forth compassion, let wisdom rise from loss; oh, take my heart and fashion the image of your cross; then may I know your healing through healing that I share, your grace and love revealing, your tenderness and care.
Holy One, Divine Love, may this indeed be so. Amen and amen