The inner darkness is stronger than any light, any sprout of hope. It is easy to be happy when things go well, we hardly fall into the dark valley of despair from which the fog of depression often arises. Until we are personally touched by some event that scratches our certainties and questions the foundations of our existence.
We must avoid judging the behavior of those who cannot go ahead and support them with strength and determination so that they can grasp that ray of light that indicates the way out of the black tunnel in which they find themselves. There are also nights of the soul on the way to true freedom. Nights in which the inner darkness is stronger than any light, any call, any sprout of hope.
Nights in which you feel swallowed by a bottomless chasm of anguish. Nights in which there is no place, person, or prayer capable of placating the boiling bubbling of inner torment. These are the darkest nights, the most entangled with thorns of anxiety, the most terrible to endure, where the temptation to close the door on life becomes very strong.
And there is not a breeze of peace, a ray of hope, a sigh of resignation, there is really nothing that can appease this increasingly acute, more penetrating, sharper torment. These are the nights of the soul. These are the nights where that deaf yet so acute cry of despair rises – But what’s the point of living?
And then drag your heavy body from one place to another, pretend to smile, no longer even have the strength to rebel while one day never ends. It is important, in these moments, to know how to choose the right people and the most suitable tools to cross this inner desert.
The inner darkness of depression is an evil that oppresses and blurs the vision of the future. When the rays of hope do not come in this darkness, living becomes an unbearable burden. Yet, there is an extraordinary inner strength within us, the ability to remain standing even when everything tells us we should collapse like exhausted boxers.
Prayer to defeat the inner darkness
There are many testimonies of men and women who have been able to resist storms and who have taught us not to give in, to go further, to believe in the beauty of life and to cling to strong values in order not to resign themselves to the jaws of pain, of injustice, trauma or loss. It becomes essential to know how to activate this inner strength.
I believe that spirituality has a fundamental role in these difficult moments because a soul that has grown every day on a journey of faith is more ready to face the days of pain. There is a prayer that personally supports and reassures me. I hope that for some of you it can be a source of inspiration to face the nights of the soul with greater strength and serenity.
God is my rock
God is my salvation
God is my anchor.
God is everything to me.
I will not let myself drown in despair, because you, my God, are my Father, the One who wants to save me and who wants to heal me from the evil that grips me inside.
God, it doesn’t matter if I don’t feel anything, because I know that you are a faithful God, a God who supports me even when I don’t feel it. And with this prayer that I close my eyes, I offer you my pain and my hand to walk with you.