Prayer For Acceptance Of Death
Dear God,
Our hearts are grieving with those who are hurting, for those who have lost loved ones, for those who have suffered such great tragedy at the hands of evil. We ask that you would be their Comforter, that you would cover them with your grace and mercy, surrounding them in peace during this dark time.
We thank you that you alone are our Refuge, our Strong Tower, our Defender, and our Peace. We thank you that no matter what we face, you are still on the throne, you are still in control, and that no evil can ever stand against you. It will be defeated, it will not win. For you alone have won the final victory, and the enemy's days are numbered.
We ask that by your mighty power, you would bring down the forces of darkness, that you would thwart the plans of all those who plot to attack and destroy, that you would draw out of darkness those souls who need to know you as Savior and Lord. We praise you for your power to set the captives free. We know that only in You do we have the hope to face dark and uncertain times. For our future is secure through the sacrifice of Christ.
Thank you God that you are surely with usthank you that you carethank you that your Presence is closeand that you weep with those who weep. We need you. We know and believe beyond any doubt, that your power and love will never fail.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus,
the Name Above All Names,
Amen.
Dear Lord, we will face many terrifying events throughout this life, but may we never forget that the ultimate victory belongs to you. Through your sacrifice, death has been defeated. As we continue to walk in your truth, help us to set our eyes on Heavenly things.
Amen.
Lord,
My heart is feels like a thousand knives are running through it. I am weary, spent, and just so sad. Please, help me! Hear my prayers. Hold me and my family up. Give us strength. Be present. Be persistent in your love. Carry us through this heartache. Sustain us. Bring us joy and hope.
In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Dear Jesus,
Today, I cry tears that mean a hundred things at once, happy and sorrowful and desperate and hopeful. I trust You to sort them out as You catch them, to hear and answer each prayer they represent.
I cry for those of us left behind, for the lonely ones with hollows in our hearts. I ask You to comfort us, give peace, restore hope, and lavish us with love, family, and belonging. In the depths of loss, meet us with Yourself.
I cry for the legacy this loved one leaves, for the ways the world has been made different by their presence, for the memories that become both more beautiful and more painful on this side of death. And I pray that the work You have accomplished in this remarkable life will grow deeper, wider, and stronger in the days to come, uninhibited by a weak opponent like death.
I cry for those who haven't yet accepted Your invitation into eternal life, for those who grieve without hope today. I pray for awakening in their hearts, for a stirring that draws to You. I pray for more attendees at the grand reunion scheduled in the coming eternity.
I cry for all the ways the world has gone wrong, and for all the ways You're making it right again. I ask that You make me part of Your work in bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth.
I cry knowing You are here with me. And because You are here, even my tears have meaning.
Dear Jesus,
How remarkable it is to have a savior who weeps with me.
Back when I was in elementary school, I loved John 11:35 for its brevity. Jesus wept. My friends and I would giggle, pleased that we had discovered the second-shortest verse in the Bible. (The shortest verse, as we gleefully reminded each other, was Job 3:2, He said.) I didn't pay much attention to the context of John 11: the story of how You were en route to the tomb of Your friend Lazarus, in the company of Lazarus' sisters Mary and Martha, mere days after Lazarus' death. I didn't dwell long on the significance of Your tears.
How different that verse looks to me today. Today, as I see the casket topped with flowers that blur at the edges because my eyes go damp every time I look in their direction.
Today, as pastors and friends and family members speak about my loved one using the past tense instead of the present. Today, as the words of the hymns catch in my throat and render me mute. Today, as the hope I still hold to be true collides with the waves of sorrow suffocating me.
Today, Jesus wept means everything to me.
Today, I remember that You wept because someone dear to You and dear to people You loved had died. Even though You already knew the end of the storyeven though You knew that death wouldn't have the final wordstill You wept. You didn't stand aloof, offering textbook reassurances and condescending pats on the head. You heard the stories, clutched the shaking hands, walked to the tomb, and shed tears of your own. You grieved the loss, and You grieved with those who felt that same stinging loss.
Today, Jesus, I am thankful to worship a God who became human enough to weep with me.
Dear God,
You are God, and I'm not. You sent Jesus to be my Savior, so I must need to be saved. I need you to forgive the things I've done wrong in life. I need you to give me a fresh start in life. I need you to help me know my purpose. I want to begin a relationship with you. I ask you to come into my life. I want to learn to trust you. I want to learn to love you. I want to learn to love other people the way you want me to. So I ask you today with humility and honesty and sincerity to please save me as I put my trust in you.
I pray this prayer in Jesus' Name. Amen
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
I accept from Your hands whatever kind of death
it may please You to send me this day (night)
with all its pains, penalties and sorrows;
in reparation for all of my sins,
for the souls in Purgatory,
for all those who will die today
and for Your greater glory.
Amen.
O my Creator and Father, I beg of you the most important of all your graces: that of final perseverance and a holy death. Despite the fact that I have greatly misused the life you have given me, grant me the grace to live it well from this moment on and to end it in your holy love.
Let me die as the holy patriarchs died, leaving this valley of tears without sadness, to go and enjoy eternal rest in my true homeland.
Let me die as did glorious St. Joseph, accompanied by Jesus and Mary, pronouncing those sweetest of names, which I hope to extol for all eternity.
Let me die as did the Immaculate Virgin, in the purest of love and with the desire of uniting myself to the only object of my love.
Let me die as did Jesus on the cross, fully identified with the will of the Father and made into a holocaust for the sake of love.
Jesus, having accepted death for me, grant me the grace of dying in an act of perfect love for you.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for me now and at the hour of my death.
St. Joseph, my father and lord, win for me the favor of dying as one of the just.