Man of Sorrows

Man of Sorrows
by Gideon Burton
after Isaiah 53:3-5

He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

A man of grief, my God, a man of sorrows.
Despised, rejected, stricken, unesteemed.
My God, my every pain He borrows;
My fault, my wounds with lashing stripes redeemed.
I hide my face; He finds the peace I've broken.
Iniquities in thickening array
Chastise my peace like damning words I've spoken
With lips rough-red from scraping what to pray.
Yet He, afflicted, opened not his mouth;
Yet He, gush-wounded, speaks to pray for me,
Black-bloody shocked, forsaken, bleeding out,
I see Him, I can see Him seeing me.
     My peace chastised, my sorrows growing tame;
     My Jesus whispers quietly my name.

Photo: flickr - teejaybee