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Holy Father,

This morning I pray for all who find themselves discouraged and depressed, for all who find their souls numb and their vision blurred, for all who feel their lives slipping down to the pit.

Help them

• turn to your Word,
• cry out for your mercy,
• trust in your promises,
• and rise to do their work.

Uphold them

• with friends who ask good questions,
• with listeners who lend a long ear,
• with psalms that give vent to their hearts,
• with responsibilities that give them purpose,
• and with sights and sounds that awaken body and soul.

Remind them

• that your anger is but for a moment,
• that your favor is for a lifetime,
• that weeping may last for the night,
• but that joy comes in the morning.

Help them remember, all along the way,

• that your Son was a man of sorrows,
• that he was tempted in every way,
• that he is a sympathetic high priest,
• that he will never leave or forsake them,
• and that he intercedes for them even now.

Draw near, Father, to the broken-hearted. Save those who are crushed in spirit. Lavish your kindness on storm-tossed souls.

Be to them

• a friend in their loneliness,
• a comforter in their grief,
• a father in their confusion,
• a mother in their pain,
• a light in their darkness,
• and an anchor in their storm.

Make them

• strong in weakness,
• enlightened in darkness,
• and diligent in weariness.

Help them know, all along this darkened path, that those who put their trust in you will never be put to shame.

Then let them rise in days to come and testify to your faithfulness.

In the name of the man of sorrows,

Amen.