Christ's Lament

"I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You..." ~ John 17:20-21 NKJV

This poem is a guest post from James Menendez of Creation Awaits, graciously hosted by Disciple’s Prayers. I hope to bring a message of unity to the body of Christ through this lamentation prayer based on Jesus’s prayer for unity in John 17:21-24. Through this collaboration, Creation Awaits and Disciple’s Prayers hope to enrich your understanding of God’s desire for unity in the body of Christ. Be sure to read Disciple’s Prayer’s poem on unity on the Creation Awaits Substack.

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Beneath the skies I stitched with care,
Where stars and earth were bound as one,
I prayed for hearts to hold and share,
A holy flame, with death undone.
Yet now I gaze, my tears convey,
This dream of union torn away.

The words I spoke, a soft refrain,
“Let them be one, as We are One,”
Now echoes lost, a mournful chain,
Each link unbound, my will undone.
They quarrel, splinter, tear apart,
And carve divisions in My heart.

Behold My church—a house of stone,
With doors that lock, with creeds that fight.
My church once built on blood alone,
Now veiled in shadows, robbed of light.
The love that binds is cold and thin,
And walls arise where grace should reign.

Did I not give a perfect plea?
“May they in us find unity!”
Yet pride has deafened hearts to see,
And idols crown their loyalty.
I called them, gathered, wove them tight,
To mirror Heaven's purest light.

I walk among their fractured throng,
In whispers loud, in banners raised,
Yet none will hear My sorrowed song—
A song of harmony erased.
How can they preach My kingdom's peace,
While swords of judgment never cease?

Oh Father, shall My prayer remain,
A seed unwatered, void of bloom?
Can grace not mend what hate has slain,
And fill with life this empty tomb?
Still, I will wait, and hope will sing,
For love’s rebirth, eternal spring.

Let all the earth be drawn to this,
That everyone may see and know,
The love that makes the heart of man
A mighty river free to flow.
In unity, let them arise,
My body healed, restored, renewed,

And when they rise, in one accord
The world will know that I am Lord.

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