This afternoon I am looking at possible hymns for next week (it's the way I work!) and I came across this, which seems to speak into a troubled, disordered and sad world...

When our hearts are bruised and broken,
by events along life's way;
when our way of life unravels,
through the trauma of one day;
Lord, you walk amid the darkness,
share our pain and great distress.

When the present crumbles round us,
and our hopes and dreams collapse;
when the way we saw before us
switches to some other tracks;
Lord, you stand and suffer with us,
Jesus crucified with us.

When the light we have is darkness,
and we cannot see the way;
when we're seeking for new signposts,
groping in a world of grey;
Lord your light still shines upon us,
may your blessing rest on us.

While we build another future,
on beyond the pain and tears;
while we walk towards the sunshine,
through the days and months and years;
Lord, the journey lies before us,
may we know that you're with us.

John Forster (born 1944) © John Forster