Three prayers for those mourning a loved one, to lay their sorrow before God and receive his comfort, his peace and the hope of the resurrection.
Pick a categoryThis page is for those who have just lost someone they love, or who carry an older grief. There is no right way to mourn. You can come to God with your tears, your emptiness and your questions. These prayers ask for his comfort for you who remain, and help you say what you can no longer put into words.
Lord, I miss someone and the emptiness is immense. I have almost no words left. I come to you with my tears, because you see them. Comfort me, you the God of all comfort. Give me strength to get through this day, then the next. Help me to accept the help of others, to eat, to sleep, to cry without shame. When anger or questions rise up, remind me that you are good and that you stay close to me. I am not alone. In Jesus' name, amen.
Matthew 5:4
Father, I am walking through the valley of the shadow of death and I am afraid of what is coming. I place in your hands my sorrow, my regrets, what I did not have time to say. I ask you to keep me from bitterness and guilt. I entrust to you my family, those who weep as I do, and each of us in this painful moment. Be our shepherd. Give us the peace that surpasses our understanding, simple gestures of love and patience with one another. I lean on you, for you are with me. In Jesus' name, amen.
Psalm 23:4
Lord, thank you for the life of the person I mourn, for all that they were, for the memories you have left me. Thank you that death does not have the last word, for Jesus is risen. I hold on to this hope, even when grief is strongest. You will wipe away every tear and make all things new. Until that day, teach me to live, to laugh again without guilt, to love those who are still here. Keep my heart in your peace. I trust you. Amen.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
« Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. »
Matthew 5:4
I proclaim that I am blessed even in my mourning, for God himself has promised to comfort me.
« The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. »
Psalm 34:18
I declare that the Lord is near to me in my broken heart, and he saves those who are crushed in spirit.
« And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. »
Revelation 21:4
I proclaim that God will wipe away every tear from my eyes. Death and sorrow do not have the final word over my life.
« Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. »
John 11:25
I declare that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Because I believe in him, death does not have the last word over those I love or over me.
« For his anger is but for a moment, his favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. »
Psalm 30:5
I proclaim that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. God is turning my mourning into gladness.
Simply tell him what you feel: sadness, anger, emptiness, questions. The Psalms show that we can weep and cry out before God without being rejected (Psalm 62:8). You do not need beautiful sentences. A short prayer like 'Lord, help me' is already a real prayer.
Pray for them when they are not with you, then be present: a message, a meal, a visit, listening without lecturing. Ask God to give them his peace and comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Paul urges us to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15): your presence already speaks as much as your words.
The Bible acknowledges the pain of death: Jesus himself wept (John 11:35). It also announces that Christ is risen and that those who are his will live with him (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). This is not a reason not to weep, it is a reason to weep with hope.