Christian, Don't Promise Me

Dear Christian,

When the rain never comes,
When fiery trials rage,
Or sorrows overtake...

Don’t promise me
Your best wishes
That “God will provide”
Or “Everything will be alright.”
Don’t promise me
That somewhere out there,
God is preparing the perfect one for me,
Plus health, wealth, and a loving family.

Don’t promise me empty words
That never once appear in the Word.

Promise me the truth,
That the righteous shall see
Hatred, persecution, and death,
And sojourn the earth with nowhere to be.
For the Lord gives and He takes away,
Who among mortals shall have a say?

Promise me this,
That in knowing Christ,
There is fullness of joy,
That will always suffice.
Though trials, famine, and sword shall come, 
There is hope that never fades,
Love that never dies,
And God’s own presence to the end of the age.

“The grass withers, and the flower falls,
But the word of the Lord remains forever.”
Promise me this,
Or nothing at all.

(Inspired from Maya Angelou - "Preacher, Don't Send Me")