Father God, I come to you now because your Word says you care. Thank you for being a Father who desires to comfort us when we are hurting. Father, right now I bring my _________ to your throne of mercy. I ask you to come near us and comfort my friend ____________. Please wrap your arms around him/her, so ________ can testify to your love for him/her. During this time of loss, there have been many questions about why … . Though we don’t understand, I ask you to bring hope to us right now, to see your desire to make us whole again. Lord, all we have right now is your presence and your Word to comfort us and give us strength to handle this loss. Show me how I can help __________ right now and how I can let you work with him/her. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
Espanol
duelo
Dios Padre, vengo a ustedes porque tu Palabra dice que usted cuida. Gracias por ser un Padre que nos quiere consolar cuando estamos heridos ti. Padre, ahora les traigo mi _________ a su trono de misericordia. Les pido que acercarse a nosotros y consolar a mi amigo ____________. Por favor, ponga sus brazos a él / ella en todo, así que ________ puede dar testimonio de su amor por él / ella. Durante este tiempo de pérdida, ha habido muchas preguntas acerca de por qué … . A pesar de que don t = entendemos, le pido que traiga esperanza a nosotros en este momento, para ver a su deseo de hacernos de nuevo todo. Señor, todo lo que tenemos en este momento es su presencia y su palabra para consolarnos y darnos fuerza para manejar esta pérdida. Muéstrame cómo puedo ayudar a __________ en este momento y cómo puedo dejar de trabajar con él / ella. En el nombre de Jesús oro, Amén.
cognitivebiblicaltherapy.wordpress.com
Perhaps social media has increased our awareness, but chances are you or someone you know is enduring a season of grief right now: the death of a loved one, friend, neighbor or coworker.
Loss always produces grief. There is no escaping it. If you try to deny it or postpone it, it will only gather force and become more debilitating the longer you try to suppress it. That is one reason prayer is an indispensable resource for a grieving heart. While intelligible prayer may seem impossible in the early days of a deep loss, one or more of the following prayers may become helpful as the shock begins to subside:
1) Pour out your grief.
“Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief” (Psalm 31:9, NIV). My heart is broken, my mind exhausted. I cry out to you and hardly know what to ask. All I can do is tell you how I feel and ask you to “keep track of all my sorrows. . . . all my tears in your bottle. . . . each one in your book” as I pour them out to you (Psalm 56:8, NLT). Amen.
Ask the OurPrayer team to pray for you!
2) Ask for comfort.
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.
3) Ask for healing.
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.
4) Ask for peace.
Jesus, You told Your followers, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well. . . . Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives” (John 14:1, 27, NIV). I need Your peace. I need “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” to guard my heart and mind (Philippians 4:7, NIV). I need peaceful sleep. I ask for peaceful thoughts and emotions to rule my days and nights. Amen.
Read More: The Garden That Healed Our Grief
5) Ask for hope.
Lord, the Bible says You are “close to the brokenhearted and those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalm 34:18, NLT). Draw close to me and rescue me. Help me not to grieve like those who haven’t discovered Your kindness and mercy, who have no hope (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13); lift me up and give me hope once more. Help me to believe that tomorrow will be better, and the next day will be easier, and that a day will come when I will feel a surge of energy and expectation for what You are doing and where You will take me. Amen.
As the prayers above suggest, you may find special comfort in reading and praying the Psalms during a season of grief. They can help you take the time to grieve well and to pray as much as you are able.
www.guideposts.org
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 1:3–4; 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.
Praying is the most effective way to invite God to work miracles in your life. Here are some more of our favorite prayers offering spiritual guidance to help steer you on your path as you grow in your faith.
The Apostles’ Creed
The Serenity PrayerThe Lord’s PrayerA Birthday PrayerPrayer For Help with FinancesPrayer for Inner Peace and Calm
www.beliefnet.com
Losing someone you love is painful.
Losing someone you struggled with is confusing.
Part of you is relieved they are gone.
Part of you thought you’d feel more free.
Part of you is still sad, lost without the tension between you.
May you allow all the feelings to come through you.
May you free yourself from judgment about how you ought to grieve.
May you laugh one moment and cry the next, without even knowing why.
May you heal the brokenness within you that could never be healed between you.
May you free yourself from the need to pretend that it was other than it was.
May you tell your own truth, without the need to prove it to anyone.
May you allow others to have different truths.
We’re all such a mix of stardust and broken glass;
May you come to peace, accept wherever you are in your grief,
Allow it to move, allow it to change, allow a new story to emerge.
May you be free.
- About
- Latest Posts
Rev. Meg Riley
Meg has been a Unitarian Universalist minister for more than twenty years. As a UU kid in West Virginia, she quickly learned to enjoy being “different,” which has served her well in a “different” life. Meg lives in Minneapolis, where she enjoys walking by lakes, gardening, reading and writing. She also lives online, where she enjoys hanging out, keeping up with people, and playing the occasional game of Scrabble. She is the parent of a teenager, and the companion of a number of four legged friends.
Latest posts by Rev. Meg Riley (see all)
www.questformeaning.org
