Dear God, I am here to pray for �owyn. The truth is, I can hardly find words to say what my heart feels for her. She is so lonely. I�d pray for you to bring her friends�I�d pray for you to show her Your love�I�d pray for anything for her, but it all feels so useless. I want to do something for her, Lord, not just watch her drown in sorrow and attempt to cheer her with empty words of encouragement.

It�s not that my words are empty. I do want her to feel better. I do want her to regain strength and faith in you. But simply saying that, Father, doesn�t seem enough! How can it be? She�s still despairing. Oh, God, that You would grab her and pull her up out of that despair! It would be so wonderful. God, why don�t You act? I still don�t understand quite why You don�t reach down and literally take people by the hand and pull them up. Father, why?

I know, God, that You do everything in Your power to turn people to You� But Your power seems limited. Why? What is it limited by? Our free will?

And God, I return to that question of free will. I still don�t understand how letting us make our own dumb choices is loving. I mean� I suppose I wouldn�t want to be commanded to love You and have no choice but to do it� But sometimes it just seems like it would be SO much easier and better for us if that WAS the way things worked.

God� If You aren�t going to change Your mind about giving us the choice to turn to You� Could You at least make Your power shown so obviously that �owyn does see that You are there, if only she would take Your hand and let herself be pulled up?

I don�t understand You, Father, but I love You. Please continue to make Your power evident to me as well.

Love, Your child, Stephanie