“O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers. You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves”–Psalm 80:4-6 (New Revised Standard Version)

Our Psalm of Anguish
By Tara L. Ulrich


Children in an orphanage in Aleppo cry out for mercy and safety.

“How long, Oh Lord, How long?”

War breaks out again and again.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

A woman in labor cries out in pain.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

Rachel inconsolably weeps.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

Another Black and Brown person killed simply due to the color of their skin.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

The mentally ill hunger for acceptance and love in this world.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

White privilege is too rampant and alive in this broken world.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

Silence the “whatevers” of the world, we pray.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

The LGTBQ community yearns to truly be accepted in this world.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

The world waits for the Lord to come and rend the heavens.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

A single woman patiently waits for God to answer the desires of her heart.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

Our modern day cries for mercy, justice and peace continue to pierce through the noise
of this broken shattered world.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

Those with anxiety ask for your peace to be granted.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

The world continues to cry out in pain and weep with Rachel.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

We cry for you to remember us all; ALL of God’s beloved children.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

We wait for the birth of the Messiah; hope born that holy night, who cries out into
the silence of the night.

“How long, Oh Lord, how long?”

In anguish, we ask “How much longer, Lord? How much longer must we wait?