ur heavenly Father, there are times in our lives when we come to You, as children unto an understanding Father, and we ask of You things that seem not only reasonable but kind and good; and by Your grace, You provide for our needs before we even ask; but we confess that there are times when we ask and do not receive—and, yes, O Lord our God, we ask amiss and do not receive—but, Our Father, do we not receive because of this condition each time we pray the seemingly unanswered prayer? O Christ our eternal King, we would lay bare our souls before You, and cry out with tears that we just do not understand the depths of Your inscrutable will and the secret counsels of Your Thrice-Holy glory, but O our God, we do trust You; we do love You; so, when our requests are denied or delayed we may be found faithful in our responses; and we yearn for the golden Day when we will know even as we are known, but for now we see through the glass dimly; Therefore, blessed Spirit of the living God, do, please, guard our wounded souls so that shameful unbelief may not take root from the uncertainty of our unrequited pleas for help; and grant us godly patience, tranquil minds, and settled spirits to endure any affliction, seeking asylum in Your wide-winged consolation, so that we, Your little children will not be overwhelmed by despairing distress, especially when we are praying for the health or salvation of a loved one; thus, we determine with Your servant, 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, surely shielding our faces from the searing radiance of Your incomprehensible presence, strengthen us, then, to pray and believe even when we cannot see.
We pray through Christ our Lord, whose eternal glory was concealed beneath the horrible humiliation of the Cross, and cloaked in a mysterious midday darkness born of Creation’s disgust; whose anguished cries for divine help were unanswered, but through which pain and passion our Lord gained honor and glory, so that the symbol of defeat became the sign of victory, the timber and nails of momentary loss became the fruitful tree of eternal life; and in these Scripturally-sanctioned revelations we rest and we hope. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.