Table of contents
For Those Grieving the Loss of Loved Ones
Dedicated in loving memory of Pastor Bertril Baird, who was like a grandfather to me.
Jehovah Jireh, there is none like You. Every day I want to praise and worship Your glorious name. Today I weep at the death of my friend/family/loved one. But Blessed Father, I can rest assured knowing You are there for me. I know I can find comfort and peace within You, in the midst of my tears and grief. Lord, I shout Your praises, because You have turned my mourning into dancing.
Psalm 18:22 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer. My God, my strength, in whom I will trust? My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Matthew 5:44 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Comfort in times of loneliness
Console me Lord as I grieve today. Give me Your strength, Heavenly Father. Remind me of Your promises. Comfort me when loneliness strikes and I feel lost. I pour out my heart to You today Lord, for I am broken, shattered and weary.
Heavenly Father, I need You. I am crying out in desperation, in search of that peace that will soon emerge as I cling to You.
Console those of us who are grieving today, give us Your strength oh Heavenly Father. Click To Tweet
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Revelation 21:44 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Mending the broken heart
Jesus, my Savior, my friend. You are the resurrection and the life! You wept at the loss of Lazarus, yet You are capable of overcoming death and the sorrow of death. Help me as I feel despair, to find hope in You.
Mend the broken-hearted. Reward us with the consolation of Your presence and Your love. Set us free from this burden on our hearts, dear Lord. Help us to emerge whole and brand new as the circumstances strengthen us.
Even in the midst of my grief, I declare that all I pray for will come to pass, in Jesus mighty name, Amen!!
Mend the broken-hearted, reward us with the consolation of Your presence and Your love. Click To Tweet
1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who are asleep.
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Beautiful Stairway to Heaven
In his beautifully written book, titled “Home with God… In a Life That Never Ends“, a comforting perspective is offered for your consideration.
Author and minister, Neale Donald Walsch, asks God, “What can I say to those who are dying? Until now this has always been a tough one for me. For most of us, I would imagine. What comfort can I offer them?”
God replies, “If you find people who believe that forgiveness is what is required to make them “worthy of heaven,” offer them forgiveness – and tell them that God does so also. If you find people who believe that they will be stepping right into the arms of God and their loved ones after their death, offer them confirmation – and tell them that God does so also. If you find people who believe there is no life of any kind after death, offer them an alternative idea – and tell them that God does so also. God does so through many events of life, in a thousand different voices during a hundred different moments, heard by all those who will truly listen.”
Then, a beautiful prayer is offered, that we, as God’s earthly ministers can offer up to comfort those who are dying:
The God of your understanding is with you now, even in this hour, at this precise moment. If you have no understanding of God, that will not matter. God is still here, in this place, with you right now, whispering to your soul, “You are welcome, whenever you are ready to come Home.”
You shall not be turned away, not for any cause or reason. If there be cause or reason you believe valid, God… should you want God to, in this moment erases it. God… should you want God to, in this moment makes all paths clear, all roads straight, saying, “Make way for my beloved, who chooses to be Home with God.”
This prayer if offered for you, wonderful child of the universe, as you embark on the most joyful journey you have ever taken, filled with wondrous surprises. A journey into the greatest happiness you have ever known, and the grandest experience you will ever have.
Dream now of glorious things. Dream of every fantasy come true. Dream of every pain disappearing, of everything of which time has robbed you being given back to you again. Dream of seeing loved ones once more, those who have gone before and those who will follow.
Know for a certainty that when you leave here, you will be again with all those who have held a place in your heart and have gone before. And do not worry about those you leave behind, for you will see them, too, again and again, and love them, too, again and again, through all eternity, and even in the present moment. For there can be no separation where there is love, and no waiting where there is only Now.
Smile, then, at the joyful anticipation of what is in store. These gifts have been laid up for you, and God has only been waiting for you to return Home to receive them. Peace, joy, and love are you, and are yours, now and always. So it is, and so it shall be, for ever and ever. Amen.
May you find peace and comfort as you make your journey back home.
griefandmourning.com
Father God, thank You for the gift of being able to pray to You, for others. I find comfort in knowing I can come to You and You hear and answer.
Lord, so many people are grieving right now. I know of some personally and my heart aches with them. This life is hard and sometimes even cruel. We don’t understand. We get mad. We feel abandoned, forgotten, and alone. Sometimes You allow sorrow and loss to break our hearts and we want to know why. We need reasons. We need hope. But I believe we can trust You when our “why” goes unanswered. Often this life makes no sense. But I totally trust You are always, always good in spite of our suffering.
You are good.
You are God, sovereign over all.
You know what we don’t know.
Your ways are not our ways.
Your thoughts and plans are higher.
We see dimly through eyes of pain. We hurt because we once loved. And now we’ve lost that love.
God, please comfort and peace to those who are dealing with deep grief, loss, or tragedy. You know their names. You know their stories. You know where they live and the number of their days. You know the reasons they weep today. Your Word says You are our comforter, the God of all comfort. Jesus, You are the prince of peace. Your peace passes all understanding.I cling to hope that You can change our sorrows into songs of joy. I’ve seen that happen personally.
Almighty, all powerful God. I am asking for You to Hold those who are grieving close to Your heart today. Love them in a way they have never known. Let them feel Your amazing love. May Your love be more than enough during this time. Wipe their tears. Cuddle them. Rock them to sleep. Let them know they are never truly alone. Let them know You are always there. You are Emmanuel, God with us.
And when everything in this world is lost, Your love remains. Today, forever, always.
Thank You, Lord.
In Jesus’ powerful and healing name I pray, Amen.
www.teawithtiffany.com
Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am in distress,
my eyes grow weak with sorrow,
my soul and my body with grief.
My life is consumed with anguish
and my years with groaning;
my strength fails because of my affliction,
and my bones grow weak.
Psalm 31: 8-9
This text is a gripping and painful description of grief. It is a grief that goes on and on, a grief that consumes, a grief that wears one down physically and spiritually. We cannot live in this world without experiencing this kind of grief. To live is to suffer loss and the threat of loss. The question is, how do we live with loss? What do we do with our grief?
For too many people grief is something shameful, weak and unacceptable. It is, therefore, something denied and minimized. We talk about how we need to “get over it” and “move on.” This may look brave and even strong. But it is not. The truth is that this kind of response to our losses is an attempt to avoid the pain of grief. It turns out that this way of navigating the pain of grief comes at a great price. It requires us to close and harden our hearts, rather than courageously opening our hearts to the reality of our grief and to the tender love and longing that are the heart of our loss.
We close our hearts to grief for many reasons. Perhaps the most important reason is not that we are trying to avoid suffering, but that we cannot bear such suffering alone. We need the love and comfort of others and of God in order to find the strength and courage needed to truly, honestly grieve.
We can find this kind of strength and comfort in God. Our prayers of grief are welcomed, even blessed, by God. Jesus began the Sermon of the Mount with this blessing: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4 ) And Paul wrote from personal experience that God is the God of all comfort and the Father of all compassion to whom we can always turn. (II Corinthians 1: 3-4).
Sometimes prayer is the expression of grief. Our full, terrible, aching grief. Poured out to God as if God cares about our loss, our pain and our need for comfort. To grieve in this way is to be honest, humble, courageous. Most important of all, to grieve in this way is to open our hearts, rather than close them. To grieve in this way is to open our hearts in love. It is to express our love for what has been lost.
Grief is a terrible, yet beautiful thing. It is beautiful because to grieve is to let ourselves express our love with our whole body, heart and soul. When we pour our grief out in prayer we are pouring out our selves to God. We are promised that we will be met with God’s healing love and comfort.
God, I am heavy with grief.
My mind is dark.
My body weighed down.
My heart is shredded.
It is hard to face the day.
Nothing seems to matter.
I need Your comfort.
I need You to hold me.
I need You to lift the crushing weight of this sorrow.
Have mercy on me.
Have mercy.
Prayer suggestion:
What losses have you suffered recently or in the past?
Write a prayer of grief about your loss. (The loss may be a person, a dream, an opportunity. It may be the loss of a parent’s love you never had but always needed.)
Pour out your heart to God. Invite God to comfort you.
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