A few months ago, a family in our community endured a heart-wrenching loss. Every time I read updates about their painful journey, I felt like my heart was pierced, and tears flooded my eyes.
At the culmination of their awful journey, I visited the Facebook page where they had been posting updates. As I read through the kind and encouraging words written by those who were supporting them, the pain of entering into their story was almost more than I could bear.
I was about to close the Facebook page and move on to something different—mostly to assuage the torrent of emotions I was feeling—when a quiet voice whispered, “Stay.”
I knew the voice was inviting me to stay in the emotions and the pain.
The voice was inviting me to stay inside the difficult story of heartbreak and loss—to feel the ache and let the grief wash over me.
It wasn’t comfortable, but I stayed.
I read the difficult words and wept over them.
As I read, I prayed. I prayed for the family and the enormous ripple effects that were touching a hurting community.
When I finally felt a release to return to the tasks of my day, I was emotionally exhausted. I also sensed that something important had taken place in my heart.
Staying Creates Space to Offer Prayers for Grieving Families
It’s tempting to turn away from the grief and pain of those who are hurting. Something tells us to shield our hearts from the emotions and avoid entering into their pain. However, I can’t help but consider how different our world would be if we learned to stay.
What if we learned to sit with others in times of grief and loss and feel the weight of their burdens alongside them?
Imagine the change that might take place in our hearts if we were more attentive to the needs around us—if we slowed down to listen to the difficult stories unfolding all around us.
Throughout the past months, I’ve been learning to stay.
Instead of saying a quick prayer and moving past difficult posts on social media, I stay. I try to understand the journeys of others, and I pray. In the process, God softens my heart. He deepens my compassion and empathy.
While I stay with the pain, I’ve been learning to pray some of the following prayers.
5 Hope-filled Prayers for Grieving Families
1. Pray for their grief to lead them to the arms of Jesus.
Different people respond to losses in different ways. As you offer prayers for the grieving families you care about, pray for their hearts to stay soft. Pray they will not take offense and turn away from God in bitterness. Pray their grief would lead them to find comfort in the arms of Jesus.
2. Pray for the hope of eternal life in Christ to reign.
For those of us who love and follow Jesus, this earth is not our home. When we leave this earth, we have far more days ahead of us than the ones we leave behind.
As we pray for grieving families, we can pray for family members who don’t know Jesus to step back and consider eternity. Pray these family members will encounter the truth of the gospel and receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Continue to pray for the family to draw closer to Jesus as they hold onto the hope of eternal life in heaven.
3. Pray for tender hearts as you pray for grieving families.
Grief often stirs an array of emotions. For this reason, times of loss can cause dissension and division. Pray for families to have soft and tender hearts toward one another, and pray for a spirit of unity to prevail.
4. Pray for the Lord to reveal himself as Comforter.
Psalm 34:18 reminds us that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Pray for the Lord to provide tangible comfort to the family through the kindness of others, the warmth of good memories, and the support of a loving community.
5. Prayers for grieving families include prayers for daily sustenance.
Times of loss and grief are difficult. Finding the strength to face the world is difficult for those who are deeply grieving. Pray for the Lord to daily provide sustenance to face each day as the family endures the stages of grief.
As for me, I’m learning to stay.
I’m learning to pray long and believe in God to move.
I’m learning that the most heartfelt prayers come as I let myself feel the weight of the losses and pray from a place of deep compassion.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Stacey Pardoe
Featured Image by Sandy Millar on Unsplash
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