O God, Our God
(A Song of Lamentation and Hope)
Hymn text by Manley Olson
[1-24-05]
O God, our God, where are you in our sorrow?
When oceans roar, and waves engulf the land.
As thousands die, beneath a wall of water,
Is this, O God, a judgment from your hand?
We pray to you, please help us in our struggle,
We long to know, please help us understand.
Through tear-filled eyes we view the pain and suffering,
And ponder why these thousands had to die.
Did you ,O God, use this to send a message?
Or was it fate, while you sit idly by?
We have your Word that you are always with us,
Yet in our pain our foremost thought is why?
So in our grief, we act with great compassion,
In helping those who struggle to survive.
With food and clothes, with medicine and shelter,
Do what we can to rebuild shattered lives.
Still in our hearts the question seeks an answer,
Will you, O God, respond to these our cries?
Remembering what Jesus Christ has taught us,
That when we suf-fer you share in our pain.
And in the midst of chaos and destruction,
Our comfort comes when we pray in your name.
So help us strug-gle with our doubt and questions,
To find our faith, and hope in you again.
When in the sea ,the mountains shake and tremble,
We need not fear, though waters roar and foam.
Your answer is, "I am your strength and refuge,
When morning dawns, my power will be shown.
Be still and know that I am God forever,
Your help and hope, in any trials you've known."
Manley Olson ©2005 Finlandia 11 10 11 10 11 10
A note from the author:
O God, Our God (A Song of Lamentation and Hope) was
written for benefit concerts which will be held at North Como Presbyterian
Church in Roseville, MN February 12 & 13.
If you're in the Twin Cities area, you're invited to
join in this special event, which will provide aid for the victims of
the South Asia disaster. For more information contact Jennifer Anderson at
North Como Presbyterian Church. Phone 651-488-5581, or go to
the North Como website.
Click here for the concert flier, in PDF format.
The first three stanzas voice some of the questions being
raised in the aftermath of the disaster and especially the question "Where
was God?" The final two are my attempts to answer the question, drawing on
Psalm 46.
The tune, Finlandia, is by Jean Sibelius. It has be used
for several hymns including "This Is My Song" and "Be Still, My Soul." The
tune is found in The Hymnal (1933) and The Hymnbook (1935)
and in The United Methodist Hymnal ( 1989). I have set the words to
the 11 10 11 10 11 10 meter found in the latter.
| Permission Statement: The words
of this hymn may be reprinted without special permission in a worship
service bulletin for one-time use only, provided that the following
statement is included:
Words Copyright 2005, Manley Olson. Used by
Permission
For other use please request permission in writing or e-mail from
Manley Olson
a_molson@unidial.com
|
We posted another hymn
text earlier, by an Australian writer: "O God, that Great Tsunami"
