PRAYER: When Life Gets You Down

by Jack Watts

Father,I feel so broken and despondent.My body withers in despair and anguish,Consumed with tormenting, painful stress,And I have a sense of hopelessness,Which I fear will become overwhelming.When will my travails abate?I wander aimlessly, without purpose, Without hope, without understanding—Devoid of any joy or pleasure derived from life, Which was once mine in abundance.My grief is ever before me,Reminding me of my loss,Robbing me of sleep,Increasing my sorrow,Telling me that I have failed.Others console me by saying, “It all has a purpose.”My friends want to fix me and to lift The grief and despair from my heart.But they cannot; nothing seems to help.Nothing seems to ease my pain—nothing at all.

I can pretend to comprehend, to understand,To grasp the lessons I am being taught,But I do not. I don’t understand at all.My heart is broken, perhaps beyond repair,And I fear that it will never mend.I may never laugh or be joyful again.In my despair, in my hopelessness,I cry out to You, begging You for relief.You hear, but You do not answer—not a whisper.I beseech You. I moan, whine, and beg,But You allow my pain to continue,Each day—long into the night.

Rescue me, Lord; rescue me quickly.Place Your healing hand on my broken heart,And make me whole once again.Teach me my painful lessons so thatI need never replicate them.I know how much pain I have caused.My behavior is a constant, never-ending grief.Take that, which is broken and shattered in me,And mend it so thoroughly that I will be Whole, resilient, and more productive than ever. Allow my sadness to become a distant memory.Strengthen me so that I can stand firm andBless Your name with joy and gladness,Amen.

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