Easing A Grieving Heart

The shock of death can quickly rob us of our ability to think clearly. If you or someone you know is suffering from a grieving heart, here are 4 simple prayers to help bring peace.

Sudden Loss

Our world has been shaken. My husband's older brother and only sibling, Ken, dropped dead in his bathroom. We still don't know why. While we wait on autopsy results, we shake our heads in disbelief at how someone who appeared to be the picture of health could just die so suddenly.

My husband and I, his parents, his children, extended family and many friends are all flooded with grief. We have great joy in knowing Ken is with Jesus enjoying the best days of his eternal life. We celebrate our hope of joining him there. Meanwhile we miss him greatly.

Grieving together is not new to our family. Ken's oldest daughter, Leigh Ann, died ten years ago after a tragic car accident. So we smile through our tears knowing that father and daughter are completely whole and reunited in the presence of our Lord.

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A Loss Of Words

The shock of death seems to steal our breath and with it our ability to think clearly. I've noticed that it has been hard for me to think of how to pray for the people I love so dearly and myself. I'm thankful that my faith is deeper than my grief. I'm so much more thankful that God knows precisely how our brains function in times like these and He has mercifully given us the Holy Spirit to pray for us.

But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings
that cannot be expressed in words (Romans 8:26b NLT).

I see in Romans 8:26, God's deep compassion for us. I imagine the Spirit so filled with love for us, knowing our weakness in grief and relentlessly praying so that we can experience God's comfort.

I am documenting the following Scripture prayers so that you and I both can find them when tragedy strikes and we can't find our way through the fog of grief to the words we want to pray.

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4 Prayers For A Grieving Heart

Note: You can reword these into prayers for those who are grieving and don't feel like they can pray for themselves.

Declarations of Faith

You are Immanuel, God with me. Thank You for being with me now as I mourn the loss of _________. Isaiah 7:14

You are the God of all Comfort and I willingly receive Your comfort now. I do not know what Your comfort will look like or feel like, but I trust it even so. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Isaiah 66:13, Isaiah 49:13

My heart is broken but You are near. My spirit is crushed, but You are my rescuer. Psalm 34:18

Your Word is my hope. It revives me and comforts me in especially now. Psalm 119:50

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My soul faints, but you are the breath of life within me. Job 33:4, Ezekiel 37

You are my help, the One who sustains me. I am weak but You are strong. Psalm 54:4

You bless those who mourn, and I trust You to bless me and my family with all that we need. Matthew 5:4

You will rescue me from this dark cloud of despair because You delight in me. Psalm 18:19

Thanksgiving

Thank You Lord for providing people to weep with me. Romans 12:15

Thank You Lord for surrounding me with Your goodness and mercy even today as I grieve. Psalm 23:6

I trust that You are my source of joy and I will not weep forever. Psalm 30:5

I'm thankful, Lord, that You have not hidden Your face from me. Thank You for hearing me when I cry to You. Psalm 22:24

Lord, I am thankful that You know what I need before I ask You. Matthew 6:8

Thank You, Lord, for being my strength and my shield. Psalm 28:7a

Thank You, Lord, for allowing me to cast my anxieties on You. 1 Peter 5:7

Petition

 

Here's my broken heart, Lord. I need Your healing touch. Psalm 147:3, Isaiah 61:1

I am weary and heavy-laden and in great need of rest from You, Lord. Matthew 11:28, Psalm 62:1

Protect me from the evil one and his offerings of depression and anxiety. Hide me under the shadow of Your wing. Psalm 17:8

For Your name's sake, deliver me from thoughts of weakness, hopelessness and helplessness. Psalm 109:21-22

When my heart sinks low, send Your word and heal me, Lord. Psalm 107:20

Help me, Lord, not to panic and make unwise decisions. I need Your help to be still and acknowledge You as my source of my wisdom and stability. Psalm 46:10

Help me to guard my heart, Lord, so that I am not easily offended by people who say the wrong things or avoid me because they are not sure what to say. Proverbs 4:23

Help me, Lord, to receive Your comfort from the people who are drawing near to me. I do not want to dismiss Your servants who bring me Your comfort. Romans 12:15

My mind feels like fog and then sometimes it is a whirlwind. Guide my thoughts with Your counsel, Lord. Psalm 73:23-24

Deliver me, Lord, from the fear of _________. Psalm 34:4

Praying with Songs

Sometimes it is hard to find the strength to voice our prayers. In those moments, we can listen to the following songs with a "yes, Lord" in our hearts.

Here is a YouTube playlist of prayers for the grieving heart. You can let these songs bypass your unsettled mind and begin to nurture your soul with God's truth about who He is to you and who you are to Him.

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Jennifer O. White is the author of Prayers for New Brides: Putting on God’s Armor After the Wedding Dress and Marriage Armor for the Praying Bride. She knows firsthand the power of praying God’s Word when fighting for your marriage. Follow her blog at Prayerfully Speaking for prayer inspiration and a renewal of your faith to believe God is able to do more than you can ask or imagine.

Credit: iBelieve

Prayers to Encourage Your Christian Life

This article is part of a series of prayers that are published on GodUpdates. Here are more posts about prayers that we thought you might like!

• 14 Daily Prayers To Jump Start Your Morning
• 9 Fruits of the Spirit Prayers to Pray to be More Like Jesus
• 5 Prayers for Protection and Safety
• 3 Simple Prayers You Need to Pray Regularly
• 4 Simple Prayers for the Grieving Heart