Most of us will face the long dark night of the soul when it seems as if God is absent and our prayers are nothing more than wasted breath. If God doesn't respond when we want him to respond, his delay in acting seems uncaring. We can feel abandoned and unloved by the God on whom we depend and for whom we seek to live. I claim no great wisdom in understanding the how or even the why of those times. They are as varied as we are. The mystery of God's actions during those times are known only to him (Isaiah 55:8-9). However, I do know three things. First, I know we can honestly cry out and share our deepest disappointments with our Father — after all, he gave us many Psalms that do just that. Second, I know from this story about Lazarus and his sisters that the Lord's apparent absence is not based on a lack of love for us. Third, I know that in the end, Jesus will triumph in us and through us.