Poem for the Persecuted
You, who speak your faith into the darkness,
whisper your prayer in the silence of the moon,
when, in the blackness, you are quite alone,
He blesses you. You understand His tomb.
Though they throw you in prison for loving,
when you pray for the brother who betrays you,
yet your faith is deeper, for you’re doing
the will of the God who is suffering, too.
You who endure the trials, who fear the cup
that cannot pass from you, and the pain of nails,
you learn His secrets of forgiveness,
You understand why love will never fail.
They flog you and they shame you. But know this,
in the kingdom you’ll see the selfsame marks
on His body, too. And you’ll know the God
who loved you most, when you were in the hideous dark.
Selwyn Veater
Discover more about the plight of Christians in the Middle East on Sunday, September 30th 6.30pm Dorset Gardens Methodist Church, Brighton with a speaker from “Open Doors” and Christians affected by the so-called “Arab Spring”…
The Brighton Oratory 