This prayer draws on the imagery and language of Psalm 88, the bleakest psalm in the Psalter. Unlike other laments, it ends in darkness, without resolution. It reminds us that some sorrows linger and not every wound heals quickly. Sometimes, all we can do is lie awake through the night, clinging to the hope that morning will come — eventually.

O Lord, you have placed me in the depths of the pit and weighed down my soul with many troubles. Morning after morning, I cry out to you, but you continue to hide your face from me. Hear me, O God of my salvation, and incline your ear to my plea. Lead me out of this dark cave so I might again feel the warmth of your smile. I pray this in the name of my Savior, Jesus Christ, who plumbed the depths of forsakenness for me at the cross. Amen.