MY PRAYER: When the Season of Darkness Is Passing
by Jack Watts
Father,
I can sense that my dark season is passing,
That my soul-weary depression is lifting,
And despair will no longer be my portion in life.
My travail is not yet finished—not quite,
But, like the tide that inevitably recedes,
Leaving a great wide expanse of clean, bright sand,
The same is true with my soul.
My days have been filled with gloom for so long
That I thought joyfulness would never return,
But it has—with the best yet to come.
Like the relentless surge of the waves,
New life and new hope increase daily.
You assured me this would happen,
Comforting me with Your Word,
But my pain undermined my confidence.
In the depth of my despair,
Regardless of how deep my pit became—
You were there beside me,
Providing nuggets of nourishment,
Which replenished my starving soul.
It was all I had and it wasn’t much,
But it was enough to sustain me.
Without Your gentle hand nurturing me,
I am certain there would be nothing left.
But, because You have been there,
I am a better person than before—
More resilient, more caring,
More compassionate and more confident.
As joy returns to my soul, it reminds me
That You are always by my side—
In times of bounty and in times of lean.
Whether joy energizes or dread debilitates—
Each reminds me that my days are numbered,
And they are not my own nor do belong to me.
They belong to You,
Amen.