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Dark Friday

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Jesus Christ on the cross over dramatic sky background ** Note: Soft Focus at 100%, best at smaller sizes

I wrote this piece several years ago and thought it appropriate to post every year on Dark Friday.

Take Me, Break Me
(a prayer)
by Steve Laube

Take my eyes, Lord.
Strike me blind.

* * *

Then heal me, Lord,
That I may see with Your eyes.

 

Take my hands, Lord.
Crush every bone.

* * *

Then heal me, Lord,
That I may touch with Your tenderness.

 

Take my ears, Lord.
Deafen me.

* * *

Then heal me, Lord,
That I may hear with Your sensitivity.

 

Take my feet, Lord.
Amputate without hesitation.

* * *

Then heal me, Lord,
That I may walk only on Your path.

 

Take my tongue, Lord.
Sever it.

* * *

Then heal me, Lord,
That I speak only with Your words.

 

Take my life, Lord.
End it
Please.

* * *

Then resurrect me, Lord,
That I may have life only in You.

 

Hear my prayer.

 

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About Steve Laube

Steve Laube, president and founder of The Steve Laube Agency, a veteran of the bookselling industry with 40 years of experience.
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Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Joe Callihan

      Very inspiring Steve. I too have been blessed with the gift of writing Psalms. At present, I have over 200 Psalms. I am looking to publish in e-book volumes, and larger print collections.
      I am in need of an agent. Past disappointments in the ethics offered by several others. I have become cautious.
      I also have self published a total of 15, secular and contemporary Christian books.
      If you Google my name, Joe Callihan, and pen name, Carlote1 Bengemyre, you can find them..
      I need to republish my last book: Testimony of a Miracle Man.
      I feel from your writing, you too are a COMITTED Christian man. Therefore, I would like to perhaps send you some samples of my writing. I also, if you are interested, like to receive information regarding your services as an agent
      I pray you have had a Spirit filled day of celebrating this RESURECTION day.

      Sincerely, Joe

    • Randy Folkerts

      In my 65 years I came close to death 8 times. You can only understand Jesus and your relationship with Him better through calamity and loss and suffering. Steve Laube’s poem touches me. So true.

  4. Vie Herlocker

    Thank you, Steve. I’ve never liked the name “Good” Friday. Dark Friday is a better descriptor. Your words are appreciated on this Dark Day, but we know the Son Rises.

  6. Mary Hunt

    Thank you for this, Steve. Praying for courage to pray this with my whole heart. And mean it.

    • Jan Rogers Wimberley

      Hi Mary,

      I appreciate your reply.

      If you are the Mary Hunt who writes for Epoch Times….
      I think I have this little bit of personal story for you.

      I grew up in Spokane, near Euclid Ave. Baptist Church.
      Sound familiar? I went to VBS and sometimes heard your father preach. Ended up going to Multnomah Bible College and am in love with writing! Plus, I enjoy your home articles and their practical applications.

      Sincerely, Jan Wimberley

      If you know Roberta Smith Hendricksen, she is my maternal aunt and was a long time member of that neighborhood church.

      May God continue to use you.

  11. Judy Gordon Morrow

    Steve, I’ve been dwelling on the meaning of this day since early morning. Thank you for the gift of this powerful and poignant prayer. I can’t help but wonder what prompted it. I have the sense it poured out of you without a lot of effort on your part….
    (So great to reconnect with you at Mount Hermon. I pray that you and yours have a most blessed Easter.)

  14. Sheila Haemmerle

    Powerful prayer, Steve. Praying to be quietly broken so we may walk boldly healed. Easter blessings to you and your family!

  17. Donna Swanson

    This is something many Christian authors write about. I have my own favorites and would like to share one.
    HIS EYES ARE WHAT I REMEMBER
    Lyric

    1. There was a child who came my way, he had a sweet, sad smile.
    A comely lad with callused hands, we sat and talked awhile.
    He didn’t talk about himself or of the games he played,
    instead he asked me who I was and what I did each day.

    CH: My soul grew strangely quiet, my heart was filled with peace.
    What child was this who knew me so; whose words brought strange release?
    His eyes were filled with laughter and sadness now and then.
    His eyes are what I remembered and longed to see again.

    2. I heard one day about a man who claimed to be God’s Son.
    Our elders said that he must die for what he’d said and done.
    I stood among the jeering crowd as soldiers forced him on;
    two thieves and the false messiah, being driven through the dawn.
    My God! The eyes! They are the same!
    What have my people done!
    He looks at me and through our tears forgives the thing I’ve done.

    CH. My soul grew strangely quiet; my heart was filled with peace.
    The Savior knew me as I was and granted sweet release.
    His eyes showed forth compassion and cleansing for all men.
    His eyes are what I remember and long to see again.
    c. Donna Swanson from Splinters of Light.
    Thank you for sharing with us.

    • Chris Malkemes

      Thanks for sharing. Written with true love for Him who loved with an everlasting love. You are gifted with words to share what is hard to express. This is the deep experience of His presence.
      This is the hand crafting His workmanship.

  21. Sharon Gillenwater

    Amen. Thank you, Steve, for sharing such a wonderful reminder of what I need to do. Bless you.

  23. Carolyn Curtis

    I’ve begun a tradition of using this as my meditation on Good/Dark Friday, Steve. Every year its meaning becomes deeper for me. Thank you for writing it and continuing to post it.

  25. Deborah Raney

    Beautiful, thoughtful way to begin my Easter weekend. Thanks, Steve. Your poem is all the more powerful because it seems that you’ve truly prayed this prayer in your life and have received the “healing” and lived in it in word and deed.

    Blessed Easter!

  27. Xochi E. Dixon

    Thank you for sharing this powerful prayer, obviously written by a man after God’s own heart. I printed it out to place in my Bible. What a beautiful picture of surrender and trust. I am grateful for your spiritual leadership, Steve.

  28. Nan Rinella

    Steve, this is a prayer we all should pray every day. It is the ultimate prayer of surrender. I shared the link with my blog followers today. Bless you and thank you.

  29. Chris Malkemes

    Thank you, Steve. It was nice talking to you on the phone. It was nicer still to see your heart. This is what I thought of when reading it.

    Death of self – a blessing
    Trust Him with complete abandonment
    Throw off what so easily separates us
    Mine is a hand dominated by His Sovereignty.
    Mine is a heart touched by His love.

  35. Jean Brunson

    I love that prayer/poem. It takes a brave person to even ask that. It opens doors to opportunities that can stretch a person beyond the limits of imagination, but never without rewards.

  42. fanny

    There were many times when I thought it better to cease existing. Maybe my faith is weak. My mind tells me that if for all these years of my life I talked to my Saviour then why should I feel blank in adversity? Today is Good Friday. I shall cease complaining and join the rest at the foot of the cross.

  44. Linda

    Beautiful. When I was a brand new Christian, I would’ve found it impossible to pray this kind of prayer with the depth of understanding it needs. But now many years later and with the suffering I have seen, I understand how limited my sight and hearing really are, if not filtered through the suffering of Jesus on the cross. My gratitude to my Savior grows more and more. Thank you for sharing.

  45. Donna

    Thank you! What a beautiful prayer to offer to the Lord. It’s one He can use to make us useful in His kingdom. I’ll be sharing this at church tomorrow.

  49. Patti Jo Moore

    Amen. Thank you for sharing this, Steve. Each year when I read this it moves my heart yet again.
    Blessings as we look forward to celebrating our risen Christ. 🙂

  51. bengstrom@hotmail.com

    So special, Steve. I want you to know how exceptional your post is. Yes, it is Dark Friday. I suspect the ‘Good’ label means it will be good in three days. But, it does make me wonder about how and why Jesus’ church calls it ‘Good.’ Thank you for a very special piece, and peace.
    Bonnie

  56. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    Brilliant and moving poem, Steve.

    We have all walked our own personal Via Dolorosa – or we will, be it one of physical pain or loss or disaffection or shame.

    But from another season, the words of King Wenceslas still ring out:

    “Mark my footsteps well, my page,
    tread thou in them boldly.
    Thou shalt find the winter’s rage
    freeze thy blood less coldly”

    Our path has been marked, and though the cold will rip our flesh and chill our bones, we have the broad back of a ing to give us shelter.

    God bless us, every one.

  57. Lori Altebaumer

    Powerful and such a beautiful reminder of the surrender we strive for! What a glorious life we will lead when this is our anthem, moment by moment. Thank you!

  60. Xochitl E. Dixon

    I read this, and commented, when you shared it in 2013. Since then, you have continued to be a wonderful mentor and friend. I thank God for your partnership in sharing the Gospel of Christ, as well as for your inspiring leadership and encouragement over the years. As I read your prayer again, I still stand in agreement and say, “Me, too, Lord!” Hallelujah! Thanks for being you, Brother.

  63. Tisha Martin

    Steve,
    When I contemplated the depth of these beautiful phrases and let them penetrate my heart and mind, goosebumps prickled on my arms and. Chilling and powerful words. Truth. We are nothing, Jesus is everything, and it is only through His sacrifice that we even dare to live.
    Thank you for composing such a somber but uplifting reminder.
    Have a blessed Easter/Resurrection weekend.

  69. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    “Peter’s Lament”

    They say, “Oh, he’s gone ahead”
    but all we see is that he’s gone;
    the joys we shared are lying dead
    and life must still go on.
    I wish I could freeze yesterday
    when he was by my side
    to run and laugh and sing and play
    and then, mischievously, hide.
    He’s hidden in the twist of now,
    and I’m in a desperate land
    not knowing either why or how
    I can still find strength to stand.
    I’ve GOT to remember what He taught,
    and find the faith for which He fought.

  74. Sharon K Connell

    Thank you, Steve, for coming up with a perfect name for this day. “Dark Friday.” Because indeed it did go dark for a short period. This is what I will call it from now on. Always hated the thought of “Good Friday” even if it was a good day for all who call upon our Lord for salvation. But it certainly wasn’t a good day for my Savior.

    The poem was perfect. The true feelings of those who are anxious to be with our Lord. Every day, I ask if today might be the day of rapture. And someday that will happen, or my earthly temple will expire, and I’ll go to be with my Savior that way. But until that happens, the first lines are what I must ask. This poem is heartfelt. Thank you for sharing it with us.

    Sharing it with my group forum.

  76. Lynn Safarik

    Thank you, Steve! Amen! If only His church reflected that prayer more. We’d represent Him more accurately in this world.
    Less of me, Lord, and more of You!

  79. Pat Butler

    Gorgeous. Love “Dark Friday” maybe more than Good Friday, although I know why it is good.
    May I share this on a missionary mailing list of about 325? Full attribution, of course. Thank you so much.

  90. Jeff Bagley

    It was a day so dark the sun itself was blotted out, yet the third morning gave us the dazzling sunrise that illuminates all of human history.

  91. Deena Adams

    Thank you for sharing such a thought-provoking poem for us to ponder this Good Friday. A hard prayer to pray but what we all need to put into practice. I pray my heart would always be willing to pray this with sincerity. God bless you.

  93. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    Steve, this i a perennial. Thanks for the opportunity to see it again.

    Last night was the darkest yet for me, personally…chest pain of the proverbial ‘elephant sitting on the chest and smoking a hookah’ variety.

    I despaired…and then Something Happened.

    It really happened, and I offer this with the wish that someone out there may find hope in the words.

    I’m not one to learn the Scripture;
    my memory is not that good,
    and it doesn’t paint the picture
    that others say, for me, it should.
    But last night I was feeling crook,
    and Apostle Paul sat on my bed;
    opening up the Holy Book,
    he stayed with me the night and read
    about a spirit not of fear,
    but one of faith and love and hope,
    and as the morning sun drew near
    I knew, fair dinkum, I could cope
    in patience with the days ahead,
    for dying’s gain and not just ‘dead’.

  98. Kay DiBianca

    Thank you, Steve, for your beautiful poem.

    I cannot comprehend the depth of suffering and sacrifice He made on this Dark Friday. For us. For me.

    May I add a thought?

    Break my heart, Lord
    Then heal it that
    I may reflect Your love in this world.

  100. Joan Johnson

    Thank you for a prayer which is needed more than ever in this trial. The Holy Spirit is with you giving words to comfort and help.
    God bless and keep you safe.

  107. Kristen Joy Wilks

    Amen! As we go into a summer, trying to run camps with an incredible set of rules to follow and the weight of children’s needs on our shoulders, I must remember such words!

  113. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    More moving every time I read it, Steve. Thank you.

    Broken for our prideful sins,
    forsaken from Above,
    on Dark Friday it begins,
    His torture born of Love
    that would no longer send the flood
    to remake Creation, whole;
    He, instead, would give the blood
    to ransom every soul
    that would but pause and try to think,
    perhaps to understand,
    that bread we eat and wine we drink
    can bid us take His hands
    to feel the ridged and awful scars
    from when He gave His heart for ours.

  118. Karen

    Thank you, Steve. May the Lord break and heal us all, so that we bring Him glory and honor.

    May this Resurrection Sunday fill you with awe and rejoicing.

  120. OLUSOLA SOPHIA ANYANWU

    Very beautiful!!! Hey Mr Steve Laube, I never knew you were such a great ,talented, creative and inspirational poet. I really love this. God bless you! Amen to that prayer for me as well!

  121. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    Some claim He took death with a wink,
    for rising was the plan,
    but they do not stop and think
    that Christ was also man,
    for they would like to cut Him down
    to ‘size’, an unforced error,
    ignoring blood from thorny crown,
    and the deep-shared terror
    that our Lord must with us share
    that we, feebly, might begin
    to see His heights of loving care,
    and depth of our own sin,
    that falling, weeping, to our knees
    is light price for our release.

  135. Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

    And now it has come down to this,
    and Heaven holds its breath.
    A shared meal and a traitor’s kiss,
    and the way to dusty death.
    The bright and hopeful words were spoken,
    the dead were really raised again,
    but now the Body had been broken,
    and now how dare we yet remain
    in the faith that we were given
    by presence of Man made Divine?
    He is gone and we are riven,
    pearls ‘fore heedless demon-haunted swine
    that mate and feed, do what they will
    below the Cross upon the hill.

  137. Karen Marline

    Thank you, Steve! Beautiful.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Oh, He was good on that dark day,
    So good to take my place.
    See goodness, love, and glory ray
    From that beloved, ravaged Face.
    Will others know Him as I try
    To speak of His resplendent grace?
    Yet better if I daily die,
    The Cross’s shadow my life trace.

  139. Robyn

    Powerful. Touching. Saving and printing to put just above my screen so I can see it and pray it often. Thank you.

  142. Cindy Fowell

    Steve,
    Thank you for posting this prayer again. A blessing and reminder.
    Have a blessed weekend.

  143. Jenny Fratzke

    So profound; thank you.
    “Take my breath, Lord. That I may have your breath, your life, in me.”

  144. Marcia Lee Laycock

    Powerful sentiments, Steve. I too repost this poem every Good Friday, with a prayer that it might bless and redeem. :)Marcia

    Redemption by Marcia Lee Laycock

    In a land unyielding to
    its own thirst
    You were a geyser
    steam and power
    surging up from bowels
    bursting to give up
    Your life
    for ours

    We asked you about rules and taxes
    bread and water left
    untouched.

    But when, in that final act
    You erupted,
    took with you all the pain
    of this severed life,
    Your Spirit gushing beyond
    arms pinioned and
    side slashed
    into wholeness regained,

    You took us with You.

  146. George Duncan

    May I say that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. The Lord makes us whole. He does not have to break us (which is not theraputic) we are already broken, He makes us whole. This is religion, not Christianity. The Lord is not in the business of crushing eyes or doing any other damage to His people. He is showing them how to be whole. He does this through His Word, which has the power to heal and make whole. The Word of God makes whole physically, mentally, emotionally, and every other way. To see with the Lord’s eyes, He won’t take your eye. He will anoint them with the Word so you can see

    • Donna

      He knows Jesus Christ heals. I believe he is pointing out his sinful nature and asking God to cleanse him.

    • Steve Laube

      George,
      I am sorry this piece did not strike you as intended. The metaphor was meant to illustrate our need for repentance and brokenness. The scripture passage from Job 5:17-18 inspired it, note especially verse 18:

      “Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.”

      Blessings to you as you continue on your writing journey.

      Steve

  148. Norma BrumbaughWieland

    What Christ did on that cross was for me, for you, for everybody, both past and present. His death brought life. One can’t forget that he had to die that we might live. I’m so thankful.

  149. Pamela L Weeks

    🛐☦️ Amen Steve so be it in my body too.
    “Take my soul and let it be
    Consecrated, Lord to Thee”
    Sanctify me God and
    set me apart for You
    that all I do is for Your Glory and Majesty
    my life was worth nothing
    till You paid the price
    Now I’m still worth nothing
    without You
    pamela weeks

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