A Poem for the Afflicted

When evil seems to hide His face,
know that He has for you a home
where you shall know unending grace
and shelter from all woe and storm.

When wisdom seems to hide from you
and revelation ‘neath the sea,
keep calling to the Lord who hears
and trust that He will bring you near

in His own time—He knows for you,
which He has placed beyond the stars,
before the angels, by His Son,
the nights He will deliver you

from darkness’ cry, from tired soul,
from battered face and evil scars.
Your God has laid those all on Him—
His Son, the Christ, who knew no sin,

who took the cup reserved for you
and hung instead upon the tree,
so God’s own justice, pure and true,
would fall on Him and pass from you.

So evil, though it stalks you still
and strikes at you from every side,
now only serves to chide you home,
to trust in Him, and there abide.

Sweet wounds of Christ! He knows our pain.
His precious blood, it cleanses still.
His arms still wide, there we abide,
with Jesus Christ, who knows our name.