Psalm of Petitionary Praise: A Cry from the Margins
By Carmen Sophia Cutler
Peoria, AZ, USA
Lord, are you at the center?—
that hub of surety, clarity, simplicity.
Lord, are you at the margins?—
those complex spaces, traced
with grief, with rage, boiling over with grace.
Because I am stronger
standing on the verge.
In that periphery, I am strong in Thee.
So often I stand at the chapel door,
with rage I demand: Let me
be in that simple center!
Part the waters for me.
So often I stand at the chapel door
with a prayer of praise: Lord,
you brought me where I am,
broken, healed, complicated,
replete with your grace.
Anger. Praise.
Both of these
bring me to the door.
Both of these
link my cracked voice
to the cracked palms of the Lord,
where I find my name
already written.
Abide with Me Savior (close up) by Angela Johnson
This poem is part of our The Psalms of Women series.