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 from a new 31-day ebook for someone who is grieving.

Praying when you don't have words

The darkest days of my life occurred in the weeks following 9/11. As the nation reeled, I sustained a personal blow that sent me sprawling. My wife of seven years informed me that she no longer wanted to be married…and that she no longer wanted to be a mother. A short time later, she left both me and our two very small children. Grief for my broken marriage and my bereft children overwhelmed me. My emotions swung between despondency and rage, making it hard for me to pray. I didn’t have any words. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us when our souls are too wounded to speak.

God’s Word as our guide

In that terrible season, I turned my life back to Jesus after a long time wandering in a “far off country.” As God made his merciful presence known more and more to me, I turned to Scripture to anchor my prayers where my words failed. Perhaps you are in your own season of grief and don’t know how or what to pray. I have found that God’s Word is the perfect guide when I have nothing left of my own.

Here are some excerpts from a 31-day prayer guide we recently published, “Prayers of Comfort for a Grieving Heart.” You’ll find it linked below. We hope they will bless you and help direct your prayers as you intercede for those who are grieving.

Deuteronomy 33:12
Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.

Loving Father, when the weight of loss makes me feel isolated and abandoned, help me to remember I am your dearly loved child. Remind me that I can rest in your presence no matter what the circumstances or how empty my heart feels. You are my shield and protector; you gently hold me between your shoulders and cradle my head to your chest. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Psalm 42:11
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

God of hope, at times I wonder if this sadness will ever end; then I remember that my hope—my only hope—is in you, and I choose to praise you. Scripture says you delight in your people. I know that when I praise you, I am in your presence even in my deep sadness. Thank you for being my Savior and my God. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Isaiah 49:15b-16
“I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

Loving God, if friends who I thought would always be there for me walk out of my life, leaving me feeling forgotten and rejected, remind me of the powerful truth that you

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Strong powerful God, as I travel this road of grief and loss, I feel weak and fragile. When I feel unable to cope with my new reality, remind me that your power is perfected in my weakness. Help me find the courage to get through each day. Your grace is more than enough to strengthen me and enable me to endure. I claim your strength and grace. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

1 John 3:1a
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Father of love, when my grief overwhelms me, remind me of my identity—I am a child of the Most High God. I belong to you. I am lavishly loved by you. Help me accept that I am your child, to receive your love, be comforted by it, and live in the reality of it. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

31-Day prayer guide

Did you find these prayers helpful? I invite you to download the entire 31-day prayer guide, “Prayers of Comfort for a Grieving Heart," by clicking here.