Friday, August 19, 2016

Maybe All I've Got is Hope

I wrote a song this morning. That doesn't happen too often. It spoke to my heart. I hope it speaks to yours.



On the muted video she’s mouthing words in silent rage
And the comments on the post below uncover an uncivil age
And while I know the world is broken and unjust and filled with pain
Right now I lack the wherewithal to muster my disdain
For the mongers and the stokers and the ones who stir unrest
Even though I know among them may be prophets and the blessed
So much though sounds unrighteous, so much just looks plain wrong
And I’m longing for compassion to become our louder song
And I think that if we learned lament we’d find a better place
For our anger and our sorrow and the things that we can’t face

Maybe I’m just tired, maybe I’m just worn
Maybe I’m just praying for the world to be reborn
Maybe I’m on tiptoes for a kingdom yet to come
Maybe all I’ve got is hope or else I am undone 

Sometimes I think I cannot look at one more shattered life
Or read another story about warfare, about strife
I’m pretty sure the ink on the Psalms is not yet dry
And the anger that they shout out is as potent as the “why”
It seems that asking “how long” is a heart cry from of old
That reminds me when I bow my head, it’s time to make it bold
I’m praying for the energy to sing that kind of song
In the midst of my own brokenness and my own “how long”
Some days all I can manage is a limping move toward grace
Where I sit before the beauty of the world’s more loving face

Maybe I’m just tired, maybe I’m just worn
Maybe I’m just praying for the world to be reborn
Maybe I’m on tiptoes for a kingdom yet to come
Maybe all I’ve got is hope or else I am undone 

(~EMP, 8/19/2016) 

2 comments:

Don said...

Beautiful, Beth! Does it have a tune?

Beth said...

Not yet, at least not entirely. I don't write or read music, but often when lyrics come, a tune starts to come too. The only way I can come up with it is to try singing it (and messing around with the singing to try to see where it should go). I did that for a while yesterday. I don't really have any decent recording mechanisms right now, so it's a bit tricky!