WHEN THE FACE IS HIDDEN

By William S. Becker

I cried to Heaven, but silence came,

I cursed the darkness and called it by name.

I gave my heart, yet received only pain,

And wondered what love had left to gain.

I watched the wicked rise with pride,

While those who loved Him were cast aside.

The liars prospered, the faithful fell,

And my heart became its own private hell.

I begged for mercy, I begged for light,

But every prayer disappeared in the night.

I thought He'd abandoned the world and me,

And left us chained where we couldn't be free.

But who was it crying, demanding reward?

Who measured the love of the living Lord?

It was my ego, demanding its share,

Refusing to love without something there.

The first concealment had covered His Face,

The second had stolen all sense of His grace.

Yet even the darkness could not erase,

The hidden invitation to seek His embrace.

I turned to my brothers, with nothing to give,

And found in their hearts a new way to live.

Not asking for comfort, or riches above,

But strength to bestow without payment for love.

And there in the darkness, the truth became clear,

The Face wasn't absent because of my fear.

My vessels were changing, my heart learned to see,

That love wasn't something He owed unto me.

So break this damn ego, let selfishness fall,

Let love for my brothers rise over it all.

For the Good Who Does Good has never withdrawn,

And through our connection, we welcome the dawn.