Finding Comfort in Grief and Loss Through Prayer

Our loving God wants us to bring our pain and discomfort to him and invites us to share our burdens and complaints. Indeed, he wants to take our grief and pain upon himself and bear them for us. Grief can feel like a thick fog that shrouds our world with confusion, anger, and despair. This weight and disorientation make it hard to see past our pain or believe that we will ever feel better. So how do we pray when we are in this deep fog of grief and our loss feels overwhelming, or we even feel angry with God about our loss? These are hard questions, but they are worth exploring because God welcomes us to bring our pain, doubt, and questions to him.

The seven encouraging articles below will help you turn to the Holy Spirit and lean into the Scriptures to find the confidence and strength to pray in your most trying times. May they help you find comfort in grief and loss through prayer.

Praying for Someone Who is Grieving, by Emily Vanden Heuvel -- Have you ever been asked to pray out loud for someone who is grieving? There is something very powerful about praying with a person who is too brokenhearted to pray for themselves.

Prayer During Times of Grief, by Emily Vanden Heuvel -- Our hearts ache for the victims of illness and violence and those left behind—grieving parents, families torn apart, and communities devastated. These scriptures and prayers offer words for when may not have any.

Prayers of Comfort for a Grieving Heart, by Christopher Hunt -- Grief can be overwhelming, making it very hard to pray. God’s Word is the perfect prayer guide in our seasons of grief. Here, we share prayers of comfort for someone who is grieving.

Does God Listen When I Complain? by Emily Vanden Heuvel -- Does God listen to us when we complain? Yes, he does. The Bible provides many examples that not only tell us it is okay to complain but also encourage us to bring our complaints to God.

How to Pray When You're Frustrated with God, by Courtney Jacob -- We can be frustrated with God. He promises to care and provide for us, yet we feel disappointed, unfulfilled, or dissatisfied with our circumstances. So how do we pray when we’re frustrated with God?

Praying for the Sick, by Emily Vanden Heuvel -- One of the most common prayer requests is for healing for a loved one who is battling sickness or recovering from injury. One of my most vivid firsthand experiences of the power of prayer happened years ago when my son became very sick as an infant.

Prayers of Relinquishment: Letting Go in the Grip of Crisis, by Emily Vanden Heuvel -- When it’s all going wrong, how do we pray: “Not my will, but yours be done?” In the grip of crisis, can we trust God’s plans enough to let go of our own desire to try to take control? That is what prayers of relinquishment are for.

Did you find this article helpful? We’ve put together a short ebook called “How Do I Pray?”, which introduces six ways to reinvigorate your prayer life. Download it free right here.

We also invite you to check out our 31-day prayer guides, “Prayers of Comfort for a Grieving Heart” and “Prayers of Compassion for Someone in Grief.”