Betrayal

>

BETRAYAL

When Judas betrayed You, it was with a kiss,
Was e’er a betrayal more cruel than this?
A friend who has loved You and pledged You his life;
Then tears at Your heart, like the twist of a knife.

How oft’ must You see this action replayed,
As Christian by Christian is once more betrayed;
For when one is seeking one’s own self to raise,
The end does not matter – for God there’s no praise.

If we fight and we argue and squabble away,
How can we agree when we gather to pray?
For prayer is not words that are hollow and bare,
These words must be linked with actions and care.

For our lives are like threads in a delicate blend,
In a cloth which You weave from beginning to end;
You know where we’ve been and to where we must go,
Our hurts and betrayals you repair as we grow.

For when we’re betrayed, we think all is undone,
And while we believe that, then satan has won.
But You take the threads that are cut through and through,
And strengthen, restore them; the picture renew.

You take hurts and rejection, betrayals and pain,
And work them for good in our lives once again.
You suffered betrayal, you know how we feel,
And there in our place by our Father you kneel.

We have nothing to fear when we gaze in Your face,
You are King, You are Lord, yet You stood in our place;
You suffered betrayal, the worst there could be,
Yet without that betrayal, we could never be free.

So when we’re betrayed and our hearts reel in pain,
We need to come humbly before You again,
And say "Lord, forgive us and teach us anew,
How to keep our faith steadfast, trusting only in You.

© 3/8/98