For Days of Pain and Loneliness
A Centering Prayer Inspired by John 14:8–17, 25–27
Some days I can hold it all:
The pain, the beauty, the calling, the ache,
And still have enough in the tank to show up with grace.
Yesterday was one of those days.
But today isn’t.
Last night and today have been marked by pain that won’t let up, exhaustion that makes everything heavier, and a loneliness I didn’t expect. I woke up raw. Discouraged. Struggling to remember the peace I preached just hours ago.
That’s why I came back to this passage. Jesus doesn’t promise an escape from pain, but he does promise presence. Not just any presence - the Advocate. The Spirit who comes alongside. The One who reminds us of what’s true when everything else feels uncertain.
This prayer came out of that ache.
Out of a body that’s tired and a heart that needs to be reminded:
I’m not alone.
Neither are you.
For Days of Pain and Loneliness
A Centering Prayer Inspired by John 14:8–17, 25–27
Spirit of Comfort,
Today hurts.
My body aches.
My soul feels hollow.
And the silence is louder than I expected.
You said you would not leave us orphaned,
But right now, it feels like absence.
Right now, peace feels like a memory.
Remind me that you are still here,
Not far off, not disappointed,
But close as the air that I breathe.
Holding space for my tears,
Breathing with me in the heaviness.
When I forget what is true,
Be my reminder.
When I can’t feel love,
Be the love that holds me anyway.
Even in the pain,
Even in the loneliness,
I will trust your presence is real.
I will trust your peace is deeper than the ache.
I will trust that I am not alone.
Amen.