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Dear God, it isn’t what our enemies say about us that hurts
us as deeply as what our friends do not say on our behalf. It
is the silence of our friends, not the sound and fury of our
enemies, that overwhelms us with the greatest feelings of
sadness and aloneness. There have been moments in my life,
dear Lord, when all I wanted to hear was a friend’s voice
speaking up on my behalf A soft, even inarticulate word of
friendly support would have been enough to sustain my
shaky feelings of self-confidence. In those moments of self-
doubt I have not needed great oratory on my behalf. Just a
word. A simple, supportive word would have been enough to
quiet the opposing voices and revive my own shaken resolve.
How bitterly barren I have felt when that voice has not been
heard. I have felt silenced by their silence. Help me, dear
God, to speak up for my friends. Don’t allow my friends to
feel defeated by my lack of a timely response on their
behalf. Help me to speak that supportive word on behalf of
my friends, even as inarticulate as it might be, that will
neutralize all the sounds of the universe that might rise
against them. Help my one word of support to restore the
courage and resolve of a friend to face down the demons that
can only win when friends are silent.