Psalm 3 - Fear Is All I Know Poem by Boston Kelley

O Lord, hear my cry.
My soul is in anguish.
I am consumed by anxiety,
worry dominates my thinking patterns.

Like a ship that is tossed by the waves,
I am thrown back and forth by fear.
Fear has gotten a grip on me,
one that I cannot break.
Lord, I fear the future, despite knowing
that it is in Your Hands.
You are already there, but I fear anyway.
The future is like the present to you,
so why should I fear?
You know everything, from my innermost atoms
to my decisions 30 years from now,
so what reason do I have to be afraid?

I cannot help but imagine myself as homeless,
in poverty, without having my needs met.
My imagination is bright with optimism,
but my realism is darkened with pessimism.
You are my Provider, the One who supplies
my every need.
I should trust You to supply my needs,
but why don't I?
You have proven yourself trustworthy beyond
all measure, yet I am still anxious.
Why do I feel this way, God?
Despite the plain evidence of how you come
through in our lives, why am I afraid?
I have seen Your Hand move, Lord,
yet I am still full of uncertainty.

Lord, I fear the future, what will come.
I fear the unknown, what isn't within
my knowledge.
I fear poverty and homelessness, being
without shelter, and having very little.
All of these fears consume me like I'm being
devoured by a gigantic beast.
I am in pain, anguish is all I know.
I fear other people, not knowing if they will
hurt me.
I am but a twig, with too skinny a frame,
to last in a fight.
Lord, I try to exercise, with the hope
of building strength, yet my frame remains
the same.
How will I be sure of not being assaulted, God?
What can I do to ensure I won't be harmed?

We live in such a broken, hurting world,
where people commit all sorts of malice.
I have seen it in full force,
it is too horrifying to behold.
People beat each other, bruise one another,
slaughter others, without remorse.
They would do so to a defenseless,
weak man.
I am that defenseless, weak man.
I do not know much about others, who they
are, where they come from, what they can do.
How will I be sure they won't hurt me?

Save me, O God, from my fear.
Release me from my burdens, cast off this
anxiety.
I cannot focus on You, my source of peace,
for my mind is clouded by doubt.
You call us to trust in You wholeheartedly,
so why am I not trusting You?

Purge me of this, so I may trust You.
Save me from my worry, so I can think
clearly.
You are the One who saves, who we can trust
through every circumstance.
Cast off all my burdens, so I may rest.
Rescue me from my fear, for I am
weighed down.