Y’all, 2020 has been quite the roller coaster. The truth is as grateful as those of us who are still standing are - there is so much grief and pain to walk through. Some of which are personal - from loved ones navigating disappointment, illness and loss; and others moreso a collective pain, from processing racism and all the negative effects of the pandemic in our country. And for me, it transcends the United States where I have called home for 18 years, and reaches across the oceans to my home of origin Nigeria - where as we speak there is an ongoing battle for the dignity of our people.
The poem I’m sharing today came from that place of not only processing what I have sometimes felt, but also that of all of us at various points- where we have been heartbroken and desperately seeking to feel relief and God’s nearness. Oftentimes in life when we go through challenging seasons we simply cannot wait to get to the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, but the poem intentionally ends with a simple realization that God himself, is the light we seek - and He is not only at the end of the tunnel but with us in the tunnel.
As you work through your very personal process of acknowledging your pain, I pray this short poem serves as a precious reminder to you today - that you are never, ever forgotten - and of the comforting words from Psalm 34:18, that “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Here it is:
The Cry of the Broken
Can anyone hear the wailing of my heart?
The desperation
The angst
The raw pain oozing off its chambers.
Can anyone see the tears dripping off my soul?
Soiling my hope
And drenching my peace
Leaving me in a tsunami of joylessness.
Yes, someone hears.
Yes, someone feels.
And absolutely yes, someone sees.
He is Jehovah El-roi.
The God who sees.
He is Jehovah Shammah,
The God who never leaves.
He is Jehovah Shalom
God your peace.
Selah.