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Our Season of Heartache: Do You Still See Me, Jesus?

Our Season of Heartache: Do You Still See Me, Jesus?

Last updated on: October 19, 2026 at 7:12 pm by Teresa Nichols

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Our Season of Heartache: Do You Still See Me, Jesus? 2026-10-19T19:12:24-04:00 Teresa Nichols

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Our Season of Heartache: Do You Still See Me, Jesus?

photo of a woman looking out a window at a sunset in a quiet and reflective moment

Difficult times often create quiet reflective moments… AI generated illustration inspired by the author.

Today’s topic hits close to home for me.

My family has walked through a season that has brought many tears, many questions, and many decisions that have felt impossible to face. For months now, our days have been shaped by doctors, hospital rooms, and the sacred, exhausting work of caregiving. We have been walking a loved one through a battle he didn’t ask for, and said he never wanted to experience. It has been heavy, and hard to watch as it all unfolded—and most days, we were simply loving him and doing our best to be by his side through it. Sadly, our journey transitioned to hospice care, and then the death of someone very near and dear to our hearts.

So, in all honesty, I started writing this article in the midst of all that was transpiring, but was unable to finish it at that time. Things took a turn for the worse, and my story was forgotten for a while.

But now, I feel that it’s important for me to return to my story. I want to talk to you about seasons like my family just went through. Seasons of great difficulty. The ones that tend to blindside us at the most unexpected times in our lives.

Moments we never saw coming and weren’t prepared for. The moments that throw our lives out of balance and leave us truly lost for direction, but not because we haven’t taken our prayers to Jesus through it all. But instead, because we have, time and time again.

And in all transparency, it felt like Jesus had abandoned us in our hour of need.

When Our Faith Grows Weary

In the midst of great trials like this, especially those that linger far too long, our faith can grow weary. After all, our thoughts remind us that we have seen Jesus do great things, answer prayers, and show up just in time, many times before.

Yet, this time seems different, and no matter how close we feel our relationship with Jesus is, we are often left wondering, “Jesus, do you still see me?” And it feels as if He doesn’t.

And then, on the other hand, we are left wondering and questioning, “Jesus, if you see me, why aren’t you doing something about this situation?”

Our emotions can send us spiraling, grasping for answers that just don’t come.

Frustrated.
Confused.
Tired.
Angry.

I think we all have felt this way at some point in our lives.

And one thing’s for sure, life isn’t easy, and oftentimes doesn’t seem fair.

At First, Our Prayers Are Bold

As traumas unfold, we pray bold prayers at first, sending our prayers up to Jesus with great expectation…
We even seem to have the confidence, on some level, that He will answer in the way we hope.

Honestly, it’s likely that we sometimes feel as if we have the perfect solutions all worked out in our minds. And we simply want Jesus to listen and show up in very specific ways to help us through our dilemmas.

And sometimes, it happens just like that!

And when it does:

Our faith is bolstered.
Our prayer life is strengthened.
And life keeps moving ahead…

But it’s the other times that test us.

The times when we have prayed with expectancy… and nothing seems to happen. And we ask ourselves, “Now what?”

When Our Prayers Feel Unheard

Oftentimes, we have prayed and prayed, and it feels as if our prayers are unheard.

We grow weary.
We run out of words to say.
We can’t see the way forward.

And the trial? It just keeps going. Progressing as time goes by. Lingering.

Our hearts are hurting. Our emotions are running rampant. And all sense of normalcy is gone as we traverse this uncertain time in our lives.

We cry out to Jesus, wanting it to stop or change… but there’s no great revelation or insight to deliver us out of the fire.

Eventually, It Feels As if We’ve Run Out of Words to Pray

The longer the trial endures, the harder it is to pray.

It feels as if we have said it all a million times before.

My husband and I talked about this multiple times in the weeks that his father was ill. We were at a loss for words, literally.

It all starts to feel as if it’s rehearsed somehow because it’s become repetitive over time. There are only so many words we know how to pray in the situations we endure that don’t seem to be changing.

We try to find new ways to express ourselves to Jesus.
We feel like we must be missing something somehow.
And sadly, sometimes we feel like we are wasting our breath.

Here is a Bible verse that applies perfectly to trials like this:

“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Romans 8:26 (NIV)

And I admit that I needed this assurance during those difficult days!

Because, in all honesty, there were moments when I wasn’t even sure the Holy Spirit was listening, much less interceding on our behalf.

I knew what Scripture said. But believing it in the midst of everything we were walking through? That was another matter entirely.

The Silence was Heavy – The Waiting was Long

As time went on, I began to recognize that the weight of everything we were experiencing was affecting not only our emotions, but also our faith, in different ways.

Not because any of us believed in Jesus any less! It wasn’t that at all!

Deep down, I believe that we all knew He was near.

I searched for Bible verses that applied to those moments and found one that especially spoke to my heart.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

And yet, there were days when it felt as if our prayers were hitting a brick wall. It felt like we were all alone shouting out into an empty void, and nothing good was happening.

The silence was heavy. The waiting was long.

Another verse came to mind from the prophet Habakkuk, as he asked: “How long, Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen?” — Habakkuk 1:2 (NIV)

That’s exactly how we felt, and it was soo hard!

We Wouldn’t Have Chosen the Trial

In waiting, we learn what it means to hold onto Jesus, even when He feels completely hidden.

But that doesn’t mean we like our circumstances, or that we would have chosen to walk through them.

We admit our struggles, our fears, and our utter lack of direction as we endure.

If we were to be completely honest, we are a little upset that God allowed such a terrible thing to happen.

For us, the battle we fought was with dementia. It attacked the mind viciously, and stole so much.

In its wake, we are left with heartbreaking memories. It’s cruel and unforgiving, stealing pieces of the person we’ve known so well. Things changed in ways we would have never dreamed.

Day by day, we fought the good fight, hoping for better days for him here. We held his hand, we spent time with him, we showed up for him, and prayed for his healing.

Several photos combined into a collage. The pics are of multiple people holding hands with a sick loved one.

Photos collage of family members holding hands or being with Papa while he was sick… special moments to treasure forever. ~ Photo courtesy of the author.

Sadly, we never saw the miraculous healing we had prayed for.

But, thankfully, we were blessed with some precious moments along the way! Moments when we could say and hear the “I love you’s,” or see his smile as he recognized a loved one that came to visit. Those are moments in time that we will always treasure.

He held many positions in our lives. Husband, Daddy, Papa, brother, and friend, to name a few… And he will never be forgotten, and always be loved.

We didn’t choose the trial. And we certainly wouldn’t have chosen this ending.

But we are choosing to hold on to Jesus.

Not because we understand everything that happened, but because we know the One we have been calling out to all along.

The Struggle Didn’t End – It changed

And here’s something I’m realizing as I return to finish this article.

The struggle didn’t end when Papa took his last breath. It simply changed.

We all find comfort in knowing that Papa is now in Heaven with Jesus. He is free from the suffering that had become such a difficult part of his final days.

And for that, we are so grateful.

But that doesn’t mean our hearts aren’t still hurting.

Because now, the reality of missing him is beginning to settle in. The hospital rooms, the difficult decisions, and the constant caregiving are behind us. But the empty space he leaves in our lives is becoming more real with each passing day.

And it’s hard.

Floral arrangements at a graveside memorial.

Thank you to all the friends and family who lovingly sent beautiful flowers, and food, and visited with us during this difficult time. We love and appreciate ya’ll! ~ Photo courtesy of the author.

A beautiful floral arrangement for a memorial service.

This was a gorgeous basket of flowers for Papa’s funeral service… Photo courtesy of the author.

A special note to my readers:

Maybe you are walking through a trial of your own right now. And maybe you’ve prayed until you’ve run out of words, and you’re still waiting for answers.

I don’t have the answers either. But I can tell you I am still talking to Jesus, even on the days when I don’t know exactly what to say.

And I hope you will, too! Prayers for you friends!

I’ve written before about seasons when my faith has felt weary and I’ve needed to be reminded that God sees me. If you’ve ever felt that way, you may relate to my earlier article, Confessions of a Weary Daughter — And God My Faithful Father.

Grief is also something I’ve written about before, especially when remembering my own daddy and how much I still miss him. I shared some of those feelings in Christmas Joy and Challenges: A Time for Reflection.

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Education and Religion

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When God Feels Silent

About Teresa Nichols

Teresa Nichols is a 2× bestselling contributing author, speaker, Realtor, and founder of the Yay You! Movement. Through her Patheos column, Uniquely Constructed, she shares real-life experiences, biblical truth, and encouragement for women navigating life's challenges. Her heart is to remind others of their identity in Christ and encourage them to keep reaching for Jesus, even in life's most difficult seasons. You can read more about the author here.

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