A Prayer to Feel God's Presence When Alone

Father, I know in my head that You are with me, but tonight I cannot feel it. The room is quiet, the prayers seem to hit the ceiling, and the aloneness is so loud that Your nearness feels more like a fact I memorized than a presence I sense.

I confess my faith feels thin right now. I want more than a doctrine about Your company, I want to actually feel that I am not by myself in this.

So I come asking plainly for what I cannot manufacture. Draw near to me as You promised to draw near to all who draw near to You. Make the truth that You are with me sink from my head into my chest.

Quiet the noise enough that I notice You. Let me feel You in the steadiness of my breath, in an unexpected peace, in the sense of being held when no arms are around me. You are nearer than I am to myself.

I let go of needing to feel strong and simply sit here with You. You are here whether the feeling comes or not, closer than my own heartbeat. Make Your presence real to me tonight, and let me rest in the certainty that I am never, ever alone. Amen.