Prayer Topic #14:
A Prayer for People Grieving the Death of a Loved One
Scripture Reading:
Psalm 46:1-7, John 11:1-26
Reflections of the Heart:
If you want to know how God feels about the death of our loved ones, remember Jesus groaned in His Spirit and was troubled enough to weep at the mournful sight of Martha and those who surrounded Him before He raised Lazarus from the dead. Don’t miss the reason for the Lord’s tears. He was not weeping for the dead. No, He wept for us, the living.
Scriptural Prayer:
Redeeming Father, we thank You for the life of our loved ones who have gone on to be with You. Thank You for their time on earth and the impact they had on our lives. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for taking on human form so that You can understand what we experience. Thank You for leaving us with a gift – Your peace of mind and heart. We are thankful to You and we bless Your name. Father, we give thanks to You and proclaim Your greatness. The whole world shall know what You have done. We will sing praises to You. We will tell every one of Your wonderful deeds. You are our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. We will sing to You as long as we live. We will praise You to our last breath!
Merciful Father, so why are we discouraged? Why are our hearts so sad? We will put our hope in You, God! We will praise You again – our Savior and our God! Father, we trust Your Word. We declare that our family and friends who have experienced the death of a loved one will not be afraid, for You are with them; they will not be discouraged, for You are their God. Your Word says that You will strengthen them and help them. You will hold them up with Your victorious right hand. Your name, Lord, is a strong fortress; the Godly run to You and are safe. We declare that it is by Your great mercy that we have been born again, because You raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now, we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for us, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. So, we decree that bereavement will last only for a short time and joy will replace sorrow.
Holy Spirit, help me to become more sensitive to the needs of those around me who are in mourning and show me how I can be an encouragement to them:
Holy Spirit, when we see our brother or sister mourning the death of a loved one, help us to be compassionate, but also to edify him or her with God’s Word of hope and peace. Bring scriptures to our remembrance that will help to bring solace to help our brother or sister. As we do this, we trust that You will help them so they will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died. Remind us to care for the physical needs of families in mourning, with food, transportation, childcare or any other material things that may be needed. Help us to be patient and to not be insensitive to those in pain. Holy Spirit, when we are grieving as well, comfort us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.
Gracious Father, when we are grieving, forgive us for concentrating on what we see with our eyes rather than what we believe in our hearts. When others are grieving, forgive us for being impatient as time goes on after a death. Forgive us when we utter unkind words, making light of someone else’s pain at the death of a loved one. Holy Spirit, chasten us if we are not taking care of the physical or emotional needs of a person who has suffered loss. Father, forgive me for (list any sins that you have committed). Holy Spirit, remind those who are overcoming the death of a loved one of those they need to forgive and help them to be quick to forgive. As for me, Holy Spirit, bring to my remembrance those I need to forgive. (Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal names or faces of people that you may need to forgive. As He reveals them, say, “I forgive name of person(s).” Now, trust the Lord to heal any wounds in your soul caused by unforgiveness.)
Holy Spirit, help us all not to yield to temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Almighty God, the heavens proclaim Your glory! The skies display Your craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night, they make You known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. You are awesome in Your sanctuary, Lord God. In Jesus’ name, amen!
Scripture References for the Written Text: John 14:27, Psalm 105:1-2, Psalm 104:33, Psalm 42:5, Isaiah 41:10, Proverbs 18:10, I Peter 1:3-4, I Thessalonians 4:13-14, II Corinthians 1:4, Matthew 6:13, Psalm 19:1-4
Today, I will trust God to:
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. ©2023 Caldwell Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved — No reproduction of the material is permitted without the expressed permission of CMI.
