Prayer for survivors of sexual violence

Photo courtesy of The Battlion


god, we come to you with this cross on our shoulders.

Backs bleeding, heads banging, tears falling

From pain not asked for

Burdens not accepted

Suffering not consented to

Wanting to be saved.

lord, we are questioning this suffering

Not sure if we’ve failed you

Or if you’ve failed us.

God, we are searching for hope

Searching for peace

Searching for love

But they all seem out of reach

Healing

Salvation

You

Seem out of reach.

god,

walk with us.

So that we may find hope in our belief that you share this cross with us.

May we find

Peace when trouble blows

knowing that

The universe sees, the universe knows;

She goes through all the highs and the lows

with us

and with her,

we will reach healing.

May we find love in our knowledge that,

Though we live

in a world that tells us that

because we are survivors of sexual violence

we have failed society

failed ourselves and

failed You,

there is nothing that can change your Godliness

and your godliness is LOVE

and so we know that you have,

you still do and you will always love us.

And that we are never the ones to blame.

We thank you, gods and godesses, because you’ve shown us

that the story

does not end on this cross on our shoulders

it does not end in depression,

It does not end with a rape kit,

It does not end in a courtroom,

It does not end in a victim-blaming society.

The story ends with freedom.


By: Ese Obrimah ~Copy Editor~