How Long, O Lord Will You Forget Me Forever - 2521 Words

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Psalm 13:1-2, NSRV In my ministry as a hospital chaplain, I have grappled with a theology that would be applicable and practical for those who are in a state of disorientation struggling to find meaning in the face of grief when they enter those hospital doors. Disorientation is another way to describe what it is like to be in the wilderness. This experience of the wilderness evoke those occasions in life when the bottom falls out. It could come from illnesses, deaths, other forms of personal distress, financial†¦show more content†¦I too was shaped by God through my own wilderness experiences and as much as I want to praise God for where I am today, I want to be able to hang on to the anger that I felt as I suffered in the wilderness a big chunk of my life. My anger is what keeps me grounded in ministering to my patients, families, and staff. Every day I meet people who are living in the wilderness†¦a mom whose son will go brain dead by the morning after a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head; a spouse of twenty years who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor; a father who has had a massive stroke; a man who has been shot by his fiancà © while their two-year old son watched and then took her own life; the loved ones of a wife and mother who they have attempted to revive for the tenth time and the list goes on. Being hospitalized is a scary thing for the majority of patients and their families and this metaphor of wilderness is not just a place; it is by far something more. It is in this place of wilderness, people are alienated from family, friends, and familiar surroundings. It is in this place their power is taken away; someone else is in charge of their life and they are feeling vulnerable, scared, lonely, and discouraged. Yes when one is thrown into the wilderness, it can conjure up the picture of being in a