Lost in Grace

Psalm 139:9–10 (KJV)
“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”

If the world were endless forest,
A gazillion acres wide,
I’d be somewhere lost within it,
With no clearing there in sight.

I would know which berries wouldn’t harm me,
I would know how to find north,
I would know where to search for water,
How to build a shelter fort.

I would have the wisdom to survive it,
But not the strength to see it through—
Knowing everything I ought to do,
Too tired to make myself still do.

Then somewhere through those endless trees,
A voice would reach me where I stood:
“You are loved. So many love you.”
Words intended only good.

But instead of feeling rescued,
Instead of running toward the sound,
I’d think of one I wished would seek me,
And realize she wasn’t to be found.

And maybe that’s the deepest sorrow—
Not that no one calls my name,
But the one voice I keep listening for
Doesn’t call me quite the same.

For now I cannot find the clearing,
Or pretend I know the way.
I’ll rest beneath these heavy branches
And trust the Lord knows exactly where I lay.

Psalm 139:9–10 (KJV)
“If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”