A Prayer

My heart is in anguish within me,
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest; truly I would flee far away;
I would lodge in the wilderness;

I would hurry to find a shelter for myself
from the raging wind and tempest.”

It is not enemies who taunt me — I could bear that;
it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me —
I could hide from them.

But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend,
with whom I kept pleasant company;
we walked in the house of God with the throng.

My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me
with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war;
with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords.

Psalm 22:1-2 and Psalm 55:4-8, 12-14, 20-21 *
Taken from “Understanding sexual abuse by a church leader or caregiver” 2^nd edition, Mennonite Central Committee Canada, p. 11.