Seeing

I read,

“Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them,”
Psalm 54:4-5.

Wait.
Not that last part, God.
Not destroy.
Redeem my enemy and me.
Swallow our strife.

Open blind eyes.
Like the centurion,
who saw Jesus and believed,
while at his post,
doing business.

Soften hard hearts.
Let us stop mid sentence,
like the thief who hurled insults
and mocked
…and then didn’t.

Make us care,
like those who stood
at a distance
and loved him,
wanting to be near.

Help us trust
when we don’t understand
what you’re doing
or what we’re doing
or why.

Open deaf ears.
Help us hear what we fear.
Let evil be broken in us
and recoil on you.
Grace our speak.

Bring us into new life
and insight.
Tender
and wise.
Reconciled.

Don’t let us go our way
to our graves,
alone and at odds.
But risen.
Forgiven.
Arised
…and surprised.