When the chaos swirls around me

I awaken in the darkness of night

worry weighing on my heart.

"Why is this happening?"

"Why did I allow this to happen?"

"How can I resolve it?"

I cry out to you, O Solver of Problems.

Hear me! Answer me!

Give me insight.

Show me how to resolve this.

Then, like Job, I hear:

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?

Have you ever given orders to the morning?

Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?

Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?

Can you loosen Orion's belt?

Can you bring forth the constellations in the seasons?"

I consider all your works, O Creator:

the Sun that rises into a magenta sky and sets in a glow of orange on the horizon;

the Moon that reflects the light of the sun from millions of miles away;

the Birds that flit from tree to tree and sing their songs of praise and delight;

the Squirrels who bury their acorns in the earth and months later return to dig them up;

the Miracle of birth and the Grace of death.

I am awed by the wisdom you put into the minds of the mystics

and the knowledge of scientists and inventors.

I am amazed by the continuing expansion of the universe.

And I am rendered speechless.

What can I say?

How can I respond?

I am a tiny speck in your Great Creation . . .

insignificant . . .

and yet . . .

I matter to you.

You see me, hear me, love me.

I trust in the realization of your awesome love and care.

I can only fall into your arms,

rest in your arms,

and be silent.

~ Reflection on Job 38:12-21, 40:3-5