Lord, I believe you are calling me in all the circumstances of my life, but there are times when your hand is difficult to recognise. The calling can sometimes come in a disagreeable shape, a sickness, bereavement, betrayal, loss of a job, a bout of insecurity. It does not look like a vocation but rather an unfortunate accident, or a failure on my part. But success is what I do with my failures. Each step on the way is part of God's calling. How do I handle deep distress? (Taken from this site, thanks to Sivin's FB post.)

This prayer isn't for me right now but for a friend with whom I'm walking through a tough patch. She is dealing with difficulties that I can't imagine going through myself and honestly, I hope I never have to go through such difficulties. There is not much I can do, especially from afar, and I can't imagine what anyone can do to help her carry her burden. It's one of those "dark nights of the soul" times when it seems like nothing good can happen.