Open to us

O heavenly God hidden in weakness and rejection!

Becoming sin for us,
You have taken away our shame
and hold out to us in Your open, pierced palms
the Bread of Life,
yet we turn away to consume the bread of suffering, of tears,
we prefer to remain in our camps
and grumble at manna and quails!

Forty years are not enough
to purge us of our insane cravings,
we want to enter the land of promise
but without walking there on the only road possible,
following Jesus.

Instead,
pining after dead Moses whose body has disappeared,
we collect fragments of broken tablets
and stay in the wilderness.

Save us, O Lord!
Save Your people and bless Your inheritance!

Help us, heavenly Shepherd.
Guide us, quietly but firmly, back to the flock,
back to dwell close by the shepherd’s tents.

Make us meek again,
renew our childhood,
open to us the gates of repentance.

The original artwork in this post is by the hand of Darlene Slavujac Thau.
You can see more of her oil paintings, pastels and watercolors by clicking here
or on her link in the sidebar, Slavujac Biblical Artist.