In periods of grief, it can be hard to be reminded of God’s love and His presence. If you are reading this article, you most likely have gone through grief, or you are currently grieving. My friend, let me first tell you that there is nothing wrong with grieving. In fact, grieving for others shows how much we loved the person. If you are currently grieving, here are five prayers for your grieving heart:
When you are grieving, pray to God for comfort. Prayers should always be personal, but a sample prayer could be, “Lord, please give me comfort during this time of grief. This grief is too painful to carry on my own. Please be with me and comfort my grieving heart.” The Lord promises to carry all of our burdens. All we have to do is give them over to Him. Jesus tells us, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
I have personal experience with grief just as you do. I’m familiar with the raw ache in your heart that comes with grief. Give all of that pain over to the Lord. He will grace you with the comfort that only He can. David was a man who was familiar with grief and pain. Often, we think of the individuals in the Bible as being “spiritually elite,” yet they are not much different from you and I. David knew the pain of grief and we see his grieving heart illustrated in Psalm 23. After you have prayed for comfort, read Psalm 23, and rest in God’s love for you.
A second prayer for the grieving heart is to pray for healing. It is important to know and recognize that there is not a set timeline of how long a person will grieve. My mother passed away six years ago, and I still grieve for her. In your grief, know that it is okay to grieve. Grief is a normal part of healing, and the tears you shed can provide relief.
A sample prayer for healing when you have a grieving heart could be, “Dear God, please give me healing like only You can. I trust that through this time of grief, You will always be with me and that I am never alone. Please bring healing into my life and use my time of grief as a time to draw closer to You.” The Lord knows grief sinks into our bones and how it can break our hearts. Give all of your pain over to God and allow Him to heal you in time. While ultimate healing might not come right away, we can be assured that our ultimate healing will come to completion when we are with Christ.
A third prayer for the grieving heart is to pray for hope. During times of grief, it can be hard to find hope, yet our hope is found in Christ alone. Hebrews 6:18-20 tells us this truth: “God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which God can't lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”
A prayer for hope for the grieving heart could be, “Jesus, please give me hope during this dark time. All my hope has been shattered, but I trust that You can give me hope again. Please fill my heart and soul with your hope.” The Lord can be our hope if we allow Him to be. If we place our hope in anything else or anyone else, it will fail us. Our hope can only be in Christ as He is our ultimate source of hope—the anchor of our souls.
A fourth prayer for the grieving heart is to pray for growth. We often think there is nothing we can learn through grief, but we can actually learn a great deal from grief. There can be amazing growth during times of grief because it is during these times that we draw closer to God and form into His image. A prayer could be, “God, please give me growth during this season of grief. Please use this as an opportunity to help me grow to become more like Your Son.”
During our time of grief, we can grow in Christ. Through our deepest, darkest days, God is always walking beside us. We can grow through our grief by leaning on Him and listening to His gentle whisper. The Lord knows how hard it is to endure the loss of a loved one as His dear friend Lazarus died, and the Bible tells us that Jesus wept (John 11:35). He knows exactly what you are going through, and He can comfort your grieving heart and help you have spiritual growth during this dark season.
A fifth prayer for the grieving heart is to pray for serenity. When we are going through grief, it’s hard to have serenity. Normally our minds are filled with sadness, pain, and loneliness during our times of grief. Jesus can give us His peace if we only ask. A sample prayer could be, “Jesus, please give me the serenity that only You can give me. Fill my heart up with Your peace and love. I feel so alone and downtrodden. Please give my grieving heart serenity.”
One day in the future, all grief will be eradicated. Revelation 21:4 tells us this promise: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” In the Eternal Kingdom, there will be no more pain, grief, or despair. There will only be happiness, joy, and love. Right now you are grieving, but God will help you heal in time. While time doesn’t heal all wounds, time can help in healing. John 16:22 tells us, “So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
Just as the Lord tells us in John 16:22, now is our time of grief, but one day, our grief will be taken away. This day will happen when we are with Christ. Unfortunately, grief and grieving are part of life. Nobody can escape from grief. Since we live in a fallen world, our loved ones will pass away, we might lose a job we really love, or a relationship might end. All of these things can bring us grief, yet Jesus wants us to come to Him, and He will give us the serenity only He can provide.
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