A Prayer of One Experiencing Loss

Lord God,
Giver of life
Source of all that exists,
Hear my prayer of pain.
My life is in shambles.
The one I love dearly is gone.
Removed from my world,
Yanked from my heart.

Often I wonder, Lord
Am I crazy?
Am I selfish?
Am I unfaithful?

Often I question, Lord
Are you aware?
Are you responsible?
Are you there?

Yet, in the midst of dark moments
Flickers of renewed energy spark my soul.

Memories that bring tears sometimes bring
unexpected smiles.
My broken heart remembers:
You are not a distant god but rather,
You are God - - revealed as One
acquainted with grief.

Lord, I beg for your assured presence.
For those who share my grief
And allow me to be me, I thank you.
For having my heart touched
by the love of the one now gone,
I thank you.

May your gentle arms of comfort
soothe my aching spirit.
May your name - I AM -
be victoriously proclaimed,
even in the valley of death.

--Virgil Fry

© Excerpt from author’s new book Disrupted:
Finding God in Illness and Grief
(Nashville: 21st Century Press, 1999).