When You Prayed Beneath the Trees

A hymn for Holy week: specifically Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

When you prayed beneath the trees,
It was for me, O Lord;
When you cried upon your knees,
How could it be, O Lord?
When in blood and sweat and tears,
You dismissed your final fears,
When you faced the soldiers’ spears,
You stood for me, O Lord.

When their triumph looked complete,
It was for me, O Lord;
When it seemed like your defeat,
They could not see, O Lord!
When you faced the mob alone,
You were silent as a stone,
And a tree became your throne;
You came for me, O Lord.

When you stumbled up the road,
You walked for me, O Lord;
When you took your deadly load,
That heavy tree, O Lord;
When they lifted you on high,
And they nailed you up to die,
And when darkness filled the sky,
It was for me, O Lord.

-Christopher Idle