I want to trust you, yet I’m afraid of being taken in.
I know I need you, yet I’m ashamed of the need.
I want to pray, yet I’m afraid of being a hypocrite.
I need my independence, yet I fear to be alone.
I want to belong, yet I must be myself.
Take me, Lord, yet leave me alone.
Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief.
O Lord, if you are there, you do understand, don’t you?
Give me what I need but leave me free to choose.
Help me work it out my own way, but don’t let me despair.
Come unto me, O Lord – I want you there.
Lighten my darkness – but don’t dazzle me.
Help me to see what I need to do and give me strength to do it.
O Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.
Brother Bernard SSF, 1928-2007, English Franciscan
The Oxford Book of Prayer
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Mark 9:20-24
And they brought the boy to him.
And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy,
and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
And Jesus asked his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.
And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
And Jesus said to him,
“‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said,
“I believe; help my unbelief!”
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Questions
When have you prayed, needing God to do something big,
Have you ever approached God with a real need but were unsure of how to pray?
prayer & verse 
