Prayer of Lament
Lord, we come before You,
weary and broken,
with hearts soaked in tears.
We come weeping for those we love that we have lost.
We come mourning with thosewho have suffered deep loss—of family, of work, of freedom, of justice.
We come seeking Your forgiveness
for the sins we’ve committedas individuals and as a people.
We have not trusted in You.
We have put ourselves and our earthly idols in Your place.
We have destroyed Your creation
with our careless and abusive ways.
We have allowed innocent lives
to be taken by bloodthirsty men.
We have looked the other way
instead of confronting corruption and injustice.
We have been unfaithful to You, Lord,
but Your love for us never changes.
How long, O Lord, will our sorrows linger?
How deep will the scars lacerate our hearts?
How far will our cries echo in Your highest heavens?
How long will our land bear the brunt of our sins?
Why, O Lord, do You seem so silent?
Why can’t we hear the answers we seek?
Why does Your peace seem so elusive,
especially in this time of the pandemic?
What are You doing that we cannot see?
What are You saying that we cannot hear?
Where are You leading us that we’re not prepared to go?
When will You wipe away our tears and give us peace?
When will You heal our broken land?
We will wait for You, O Lord!
Your love will never fail us,
Your wisdom will go before us,
Your grace will see us through.
Lord, receive our tears as our humble worship.
Help us praise You in the midst of our pain.
Uplift our spirit as we lift up Your Name.
Our trust is in You.
May Your Holy Name be praised!
Amen.
This is an excerpt from Yna Reyes from This Season of Grief: Stories, Poetry, Prayers, and Practical Help. This book recently won in the Best Inspiration Category of the Gintong Aklat Awards. it also won in the Filipino Reader's Choice Awards for the Inspirational/Religious category and was a finalist in the National Book Awards in the “Best Anthology” category
In this season of grief, many have suffered different kinds of loss.
We’ve suffered the loss of the physical—loved ones, our health, income, possessions. We’ve suffered the loss of the intangibles— freedom, memories, justice, peace. We’ve also suffered the loss of the ambiguous; we know we have lost them even though we could not name them. We feel all these losses and cry out in a collective, pandemic grief.
This book comes alongside those grieving many kinds of loss — not as an authority hurriedly dismissing a grief but rather, as a gentle friend who says, “I understand…”
Through stories, poetry, prayers, and practical help, this book brings comfort and hope to those languishing in this season of grief.