II cannot go this life alone;
I need strength beyond my own.
Troubles near and troubles far,
It does not matter who you are.
Everyone in time of need
Finds themselves on bended knee,
Looking up as if to say,
“Please help me live another day.”
When life ends its mortal journey
And our body’s limp and lonely,
Buried deep within the Earth
We’ll discover our real worth.
In our Heavenly Father’s eyes
We will see Him when He cries
For the wickedness of men
And of war, of rage, and sin.
And so it goes when in life lows
Through dark valleys we must go;
Only if my eyes could see
What Heavenly Father sees in me.
He would see an imperfect man,
But He would let me know I can
Return and live with Him someday
With my family here today.
He would help me now to see
That I like Him can someday be
By relying on His Only Son,
The Infinite and Eternal One.
I can have a healthy heart;
I can make a brand new start.
He can heal and comfort me
If through His eyes I view me.
I wrote that poem after having a really tough day. It was one of those times of desperation and prayer that I spoke of in the poem.
There can be a tendency to pray during those moments, even if we normally don’t. Abraham Lincoln said it best when he explained, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” In times of severe anguish and pain, many mortals turn heavenward, searching desperately for comfort and peace.
I’ve certainly had prayers of panic and pleading. I have begged and pleaded with the Creator of the Universe more than once. At one point in my life when I was in a very dangerous situation, I said I would do anything for Him, but “Please, please help me live.”
I once heard a colleague—a former Vietnam-era Marine—point out to a younger war veteran of Iraq that he was confident the younger veteran pleaded for heavenly help when that first bullet whizzed past his head in battle. The younger veteran admitted, almost sheepishly, that he had prayed.
The interesting thing is that there are other times—times in our lives when there are mean people or hardships—when we wonder if the challenges we face will ever leave. We wonder if our situation will ever change. The poem embraces those times best.
Challenges and difficulties give us an opportunity to learn spiritual lessons that we could learn by no other means and in no other way.
When we feel sorrow and suffering because of our circumstances and imperfections or the imperfections of others, I believe we need a special kind of unconditional love that only a parent can give us—a heavenly parent who sees in us what we cannot see in ourselves.
God is our loving Heavenly Father. I believe He sees all things and knows all things. He knows what is best for us, and He is anxious to bless and help us. He sees in us what we cannot see in ourselves. He recognizes our potential. He feels sorrow when we do wrong, and so do we. Fortunately, we can repent and be better today and tomorrow. We are all sinners to one degree or another, but we can strive to be better.
Our Heavenly Father has a plan for us; He wants to see us succeed. He sees what is around the corner for us. He sees our potential. Even when we give up, He doesn’t give up on us. He will help us. He will guide us. He will comfort us, but only if we let Him. He loves us. When we begin to feel that love, our lives and our circumstances can change dramatically.
This is part of a chapter in the author’s book, Our True Identity.
