The desert, arid land of heat and pain,
In its wind of sorrow and of doubt
Carries best my amorous refrain…
And the burning thirst makes me cry out
Louder than I could within the rain
Causes me to stronger seek the well
That ends my need for water. Spirit-spring.
And the sand-torn tempests there compel
Me to beg a clean breath from my King
Forcing me to kneel, and learn to dwell
In Him, the Master of the Wilderness.
I’ve come to learn, His grace its deepest falls
Within my widest deserts of distress
And I hear clearest His pursuing calls
Within that silent ache of loneliness.
So come, oh barren land, oh field of tears,
Come, and I will learn to tread your sands
For those who mourn are comforted, and years
Of self-death teach me rest within His hands
And joy, for my Love always reappears.

– s. Clark