“And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.” – Samuel 15:35

“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward.” – 1 Samuel 16:13

Will you be sorry of my anointing, God?
How much regret do you bear for me?
How have I grieved you? How have I dismayed you?
Or rather, not how. But when. And how much?

Truly we serve you a very short time,
since our birth and our death are mere heartbeats away.
How much regret does one soul lay on you?
Does it burden you more as each person dismays?

If you are sorry of my anointing, O God,
I cannot be surprised. I can only confess
that I’m trying, and struggling, and failing,
and sometimes, I might do it well if you try me again.

A poem/prayer based on 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13, the Revised Common Lectionary Alternate First Reading for Year B, Proper 6 (11).

The image is David Anointed King by Samuel, (3rd cent. CE) reworked by Marsyas – Dura Europos synagogue painting : Yale Gilman collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5107843.