The truth is, we may have retreated into darkness so far that our mind tells us prayer is useless. It won't change anything because nothing and no one can help me. Coming from someone that's been there, you truly feel like you're all alone. People just fade from your view. All you see, and all you hear is a deafening silence of nothing but the thoughts in your mind.
But if you can focus for even a minute you will hear His whisper. "I'm here. I love you. I don't care if you need to stay up crying all night long. I will stay with you. There's nothing you can ever do to lose my love. I will always protect you. I am stronger than depression and I am braver than loneliness and nothing will ever exhaust Me." Psalm 147:3- He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
Believe me when I say this; He IS there, and He DOES hear you. You just have to listen to Him, and cry out in prayer. If you have family or friends who are suffering from depression or mourning a death, cry out for them. We are happy when God answers our prayer, but be even more thankful when God makes you the answer to someone else's prayer. James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Washington Irving, the author of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" said, "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love." When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, tears of despair and loneliness so powerful they were drops of blood, He didn't give up. He cried out to our Heavenly Father in prayer to ask for strength to endure the hardships that approached. And on the cross, beaten down by all sin, those tears of overwhelming grief were poured out in unspeakable love for mankind.
If our creator was able to endure all of this in love for us, there is nothing in our lives He can not conquer. The deepest level of worship is praising God in prayer in-spite of the pain, thanking God during the trials, trusting Him when we're tempted to lose hope and loving Him when He seems so distant and far away. At our lowest, God is our hope. At our darkest, God is our light. At our weakest, God is our strength. And at our saddest, God is our comforter. Psalm 9:9-The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you today in prayer asking that you will touch the hearts of the hurting. Heal their wounds and help them to realize that You are the answer to the problems they face. You are love and You are the healer. Bind the works of the enemy, break every chain and set the captives free from bondage. You, Oh Great Father, will take us through this, we know it, for the battle is yours. Help us to not dwell on the negativity of this world, but embrace the positivity of Your Grace. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
