What the old man
confessed in his prayer:
wickedness, rebellion,
ignoring the prophets,
treachery, disobedience,
turning from the law,
refusing to concede
sins, willful ignoring
of the call to confess,
and doing all this
for generations.
What the old man
asked in his prayer:
mercy, and
a return home.
Photograph by Jack Sharp via Unsplash. Used with permission.
The time had come;
the old man read
the book, the prophecy
set down years before,
before his birth,
the words thundered
at the people and
ignored until the end
brought destruction,
desolation, and exile.
He read the words and
moved, or was moved,
to prayer, to fall
on his face, to don
sackcloth, to rub
ashes on his face,
to fast. Then he
spoke his prayer
of confession,
his prayer of
contrition, not
spoken from any
high ground or
moral superiority,
but only in recognition
of perfect mercy.
Photograph by Jon Tyson via Unsplash. Used with permission.
