We toss and turn grinding our teeth
We wake up with questions
We want desperately to articulate

Articulate the echoes that reverberate against our fear
What we hear when you recount your God-thing

When you tell of the time
Your husband
Almost died
Nearly died
Came close
But didn’t
Die
And name this a God-thing
It was such a God-thing

God-thing
Has a certain ring

Hear her testimony
Let her tell you her God-thing

Defied all odds doctors said
He should have died
But
Her young son
In her arms
His new heart beating
She’s radiant
She beams
It was such a God-thing
Oh had God not intervened
Such a God-thing

Hear our testimony
Let us tell you about
This
God-thing

When you’re drowning
Doubting
Lacking
Hurting
Falling
When you’re starving
For blessing

And people chronicle
Their God-things

They’re preaching
Theologically speaking
Philosophically speaking
Metaphorically speaking
Speaking to hear themselves speaking

Preaching

To an audience
Who knows
That just like
That
You wake up one day
And God doesn’t do
This
Thing

Hoping
Shouting
Wishing
Searching for meaning
Starving for blessing

Tossing and turning grinding our teeth
We articulate the questions

Are you
More precious
More worthy
More loved
More favored
More blessed

Are we
Forsaken
Forgotten
Forlorn
Abandoned
Alone

We are not unmoved
We are happy for you

But we will articulate the questions

Is it a God-thing or just a good thing
Are only good things God-things
Or are all things God-things

What if the thing had turned out differently for you
Would it still be a God-thing
What if God had allowed your worst nightmare
Would you still call the thing a God-thing

Perhaps

Perhaps you should

For from him and through him and for him are
All things

For in his kingdom
We gain life by losing it
Receive by giving
The last are first
And the ones who mourn
Are the ones who are blessed

Clinging to faith
Continuing to trust
Daring to hope
When you’re walking through the valley
When you’re treading deep water
When you’re tossing and turning
Grinding your teeth

Let me tell you about my God-thing