His doctor sent him a letter,
It came in the mail just today;
He thought it was only a bill,
Now he wishes he'd thrown it away.

He wrote it very gingerly,
All the results of last week's tests;
They were not what he expected,
How long before in peace he rests?

Dear Lord, how much can one man take,
What is it You want him to do?
Each new year brings more and more pain,
What he needs is mercy from You.

Hard to believe this is Your will,
He does his best to understand;
If faith were as fragile as him,
He'd surely be a broken man.

He doesn't want to be a burden,
To his children or to his wife;
Lord, he'd like You to take him home,
Living like that is not a life.

Not on top of everything else,
All the rebuilding the docs have done;
He's not ready to battle this,
This is a war that can't be won.

Only You, Lord, can beat this thing,
Man doesn't have the expertise;
Lord, he begs You, take it away,
He prays to You on bended knee.

Joint replacements, brain surgery,
The others too, a piece of cake;
But this, they can't fix with a knife,
And their treatments he will not take.

Lord, he didn't need this today,
There's no one for him to turn to;
There's not a shoulder to cry on,
So Lord, he humbly turns to You.

He's seen this in his family,
Those before him have had this thing;
Seen the horrors that come with it,
He's felt all the sorrow it brings.

It's not the passing that he fears,
It's the pain that will come before;
Lord, if it's Your will, bring him home, 
He simply can't take anymore.