Our heavenly Father, there are times in our lives when we come to You, as children unto a good Father, and we ask of You things that seem not only reasonable but kind and good; so many times You provide for our needs before we even ask; but we confess that there are times when we ask and do not receive; yes, Lord, we ask amiss and do not receive, but, Lord God, do we not receive because of this condition each time we pray the seemingly unanswered prayer? O Christ, we want to bear our souls for You and cry out that we do not understand the depths of Your will and the secret counsels of Your majestic throne-room in heaven, but we still trust You; we love You; we trust that in our requests that are denied or delayed we may be found faithful; we long for the day when we will know even as we are known but for now we see through the glass dimly; Spirit of the living God, guard our wounded souls so that unbelief may not take root in the midst of our unrequited pleas for help; grant us patience and tranquil minds to endure affliction and especially Your consolidation in that greater distress when we are praying for the health or peace of a loved one. We say with David, “We shall yet praise You;” so that the dark shadows of misunderstanding may be driven away by fresh breezes of supernatural faith. Until the day when we stand before You, and hide our faces from the radiance of Your presence, strengthen us to pray and believe even when we cannot see. We pray through Christ our Lord, whose eternal glory was hidden beneath the horrible humiliation of the Cross, and cloacked in midday darkness by Creation’s shame, and whose anguished cries for divine help were not answered, but through whose pain and passion our Lord gained honor and glory; as the symbol of defeat became the sign of victory, the timber and nails of momentary loss became the fruitful tree of eternal life; Amen.