Before,

when we counted on our anchors to hold us steady:
our bodies to be strong
our bank accounts to be full
our healers to keep us well
our leaders to be reliable
our churches to comfort us
our communities to connect us,

what did we know of need?

What were the disciplines of
prayer
meditation
worship
fellowship
but optional or obligatory or obsolete rituals
we considered ‘enriching’ at best
and at worst, unnecessary?

We’re good, we’ve got this,
was the undercurrent that buoyed us,
even as we professed to ‘live by faith’.

An untested faith.

Now,
as we watch the anchors we held onto
slip out from beneath us,
one by one,
leaving us floating, untethered,
in a sea of uncertainty, questions, panic,
we are undone and desperate with need.

Realizing, perhaps for the first time in our lives,
how truly helpless, dependent, and fragile we are.

With no guarantee of what tomorrow will bring,
we need your vision to give us hope for ourselves,
our families, our communities.

Without adequate healthcare for this growing tide of sickness,
we need your strength to sustain and heal us.

Without strong leaders we can trust,
we need your wisdom and truth to help us navigate these unpathed waters.

Without financial security,
we need your generosity and provision for our daily needs.

Without the nearness of friends and family,
we need your Spirit to comfort and connect us across our distances.

No longer anchored in our self-reliance,
we are drifting out into deeper waters,
tossed by a storm we cannot manage or control,
waiting on you
to awaken from your sleep
to tell us who we are—
o ye of little faith—
“and to calm the storm.  

Staci Frenes is a singer/songwriter,
author, and speaker from the Bay area.
www.stacifrenes.com