Prayer For Those In Mourning
Lord, we pray for those who mourn, for parents and children, friends and neighbors. Be gentle with them in their grief. Show them the depths of your love, a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven. Spare them the torment of guilt and despair. Be with them as they weep beside the empty tomb of our risen savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
May you be held by the God of compassion
as you remember your loved ones today.
May God be with you in your sorrow,
and comfort you in your loss.
May your God, your family and your friends,
give you strength and confidence.
May your spirit be lifted, may your heart be filled with peace,
and may the light of God's promise fill you with joy and hope.
Amen.
Those who are worn out and crushed by this mourning, let your hearts consider this:
this is the path that has existed from the time of creation and will exist forever.
Many have drunk from it and many will yet drink.
As was the first meal, so shall be the last.
May the master of comfort comfort you.
Blessed are those who comforts the mourners.
Bless those who mourn, eternal God, with the comfort of your love that they may face each new day with hope and the certainty that nothing can destroy the good that has been given. May their memories become joyful, their days enriched with friendship, and their lives encircled by your love.
Father, I pray for (name one or more) and others in my circle of family and friends who are grieving...
They're hurting for many reasons, and I ask You to help them through this season of loss. I reach out to You, the Father of compassion and the Source of every comfort, asking You to touch them with Your unfailing love and kindness. Be their God who comforts them as they're going through their struggles, and bring them through the tough things ahead. Come alongside them in their pain, and strengthen them so they'll one day be able to help others who face the same struggles. (2 Corinthians 1:34; Psalm 33:22; 1 Samuel 20:14a)
You're close to people whose hearts are breaking, those who are discouraged and have given up hope. May You who see their troubles and grief respond when they cry out. (Psalm 34:18; 10:14a, 17)
When they're hurting, help them find their joy in You, for it's Your joy that will be their strength. Help them to trust You as their God of hope. Fill them with Your joy, peace, and hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Help them experience the love, joy, and peace that are the results of His life in them, no matter what they're going through. (Nehemiah 8:10b; Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:22)
May they sense Your presence in this hour of need. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Father,
Praise You for Your omnipotent hand of protection over our lives. Even through we come to You with downcast hearts, we know in full confidence that You are able to lift us out of our grief. You are our Healer. You know our hearts, from our aching hurts to our feelings of despair. As the frigid winter air freezes the ground, our hurting hearts tend to harden. Mourning isn't easy, and we'd often rather go it alone, or avoid it all together. When we wish to close everyone off and isolate our hearts, empower us to bring the broken pieces of our hearts to You.
Death is difficult, but we are promised to be reunited with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ in heaven. For those of us that mourn the loss of a fellow believer, we know that our pain is temporary, and that theirs has now passed away to eternal peace with Christ in heaven. Though it's difficult to say good-bye, we know that Your presence is more than enough to restore our peace and fuel our continued perseverance of Your purpose for our lives on this earth.
Forgive us for wallowing times of despair and hopelessness. Holy Spirit, translate the groaning of our heart to the Father that sits above all in sovereignty. Relieve feelings of anger, confusion, depression, anxiety, and all other maladies of the heart and soul the coincide with grief and mourning. Help us to adjust to life without the one we mourn.
Thank You for the time we were granted with their sweet soul while their time on earth ran it's course. For the ways they helped us grow closer to You, and challenged us to follow the course You set out for our lives. For those of us saying goodbye to mentors and teachers, seeds of doubt that we can walk as courageously without them will temp us to falter. But the remnants of their love for You will carry on in our lives in ways that we may never comprehend. Help us to retain their memory, Father. May our memories be swift, and our grief be short.
We know that every life is numbered perfectly by You, and we trust You first with the our lives, and the lives of the ones we love on this earth. Help us to let go, knowing every life belongs to You, first. Bless us with an appreciation of the mark they left in Your honor on this earth, Father. May they rest in the peace of Your arms, until we see them again.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, hurry to help me. Please take the consuming anguish I feel right now; take it from me and hold me in Your arms. Heal my broken heart and bind up my wounds (see Psalm 147:3). Amen.
Jesus, You said, Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4, NIV). I am mourning; send me Your comfort now. Wrap around Your arms around me and hold me tight. Send angels of mercy to me. Shower Your comfort on me through those around me, and keep far from me those whose words and actions are no comfort. Amen.