Praying the Promises in Times of Grief & Loss {The Prayer Series}
Battling the dark times that come along with a loss are lonely times. Times you never want to experience again, and times you think you’ll never get out of when you’re experiencing them. Praying the Promises of God during times of grief and loss may be the furthest thing from your mind. With that in mind, there are 7 Free Prayer Prompts for downloading.
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In church on Sunday, my pastor shared about his experience with loss and how you can be catapulted back into those feelings, even years later!
He shared about how easy it is to get stuck in the depression stage of dealing with a loss.
I could relate. My pastor’s loss wasn’t the same as mine. Yours might not be the same as mine, not everyone’s loss looks the same… And not everyone deals with disappointments in life the same.
Prayer for Loss of Loved One
After I lost someone in my life, I remember pleading with God “Why…?”
It was so confusing.
When will the pain end? I won’t ever forget this, so how will I ever move on?
God’s Promises
During my depression, I read the Bible a lot. I didn’t know what else to do.
I felt incredibly lonely and like no one in the world understood what happened or understood me.
However, God is always close to the brokenhearted and we can remember His promises during times of disappointment, grief and loss.
On one particular day, I remember feeling like Jesus was walking right next to me. I don’t remember ever feeling that close to God, before or after. It’s a fond memory that I look back on and think God is close to the brokenhearted.
praying for the wrong things
I remember just praying on repeat that God would bring this person back to me. If they were just here, I would be fine. I didn’t need anything else. Without my knowledge, this obsession with having them returned to me had taken the place of God in my heart.
The truth was they were gone and I had a lot to learn.
Firstly, I needed to rely on God for everything, not a person. I was reading through God’s promises, but I was still hoping His promises meant my life would return to the normal I had known.
Meanwhile, God’s plan was that I learned to lean on Him for joy, peace and love. Always. Not just when it felt easy.
I strongly believe God allows trials to happen in our lives to draw us closer to Him. Not because He is mean and trying to hurt us, but because He knows what we need most. There is nothing sinful, spiteful or mean about God.
Maybe you’re thinking How do I pray and What do I say? You can find my prayer guide here.
Praying The Promises In Times of Grief & Loss
The Bible is filled with hope. God will give us everything we need to handle all of the curve balls of life. So, here are verses that share God’s promises of hope, peace and love.
1. Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In Matthew 11:28-30, God promises that He will give us rest. Rest is elusive when you have lost something or someone you love. It is all you can think about and your mind doesn’t seem to shut off, ever. We can pray the promises God has provided in the Bible to find His peace in the darkest times.
2. Psalm 55:22 NIV
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.
Psalm 55:22 promises that God will sustain us. The definition of being sustained is to strengthen or support mentally and physically. When we are experiencing grief, it feels like we are literally falling apart. God promises that we can call on Him to be our glue. He can get us through.
3. Praying the Promises: Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 grants us the promise that the Lord will make our future align with Him, if we trust in Him instead of ourselves. This is so hard!
I remember thinking, “No, He doesn’t know what is best for me or this wouldn’t have happened.” It is easy to be resentful when times are tough.
However, God’s plan for our lives is best. We all have a time to live on this earth and a time to die. Jesus also faced tough times, but still chose to die for us. I can trust in Him when the times get tough.
4. Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5-6 promises that God is right there with you and that no earthly possessions will fulfill us. When we have certain earthly possessions or people in our lives, it is really easy to feel comfortable and safe. We get used to life a certain way.
When we experience a loss of someone or something that we allowed to make us feel safe or comfortable, it is easy to feel vulnerable and exposed. Your whole world feels flipped upside down and unrecognizable. Praying the promises can remind us that God is in control and our Helper!
5. Romans 8:39 NIV
Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hallelujah! Jesus promises that we are never out of reach from the love of God. So, He can find us anywhere; save us from any sins. There is nothing I can do that can’t be covered by His blood.
So, there is no earning this. It is a gift for me to freely receive.
I love this verse because when your favorite person is gone, you feel unloved and lonely. Jesus says, nothing will separate Him from loving you!
6. Praying the Promises: Revelation 21:4 NIV
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
God promises that there will be no more dying, crying or pain when Jesus comes again!
This pain that you feel will be healed. Moreover, we will have new bodies, Jesus conquered the grave and Jesus’ love is enough for overwhelming joy!
7. Deuteronomy 31:6 NIV
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
God promises there is nothing to fear. He is with you.
For instance, maybe what you lost gave you a lot of support, maybe financial support and/or love. Loss can be scary for a lot of reasons. However, God is promising that He will provide if you believe. He even provides for the birds of the sky and you are much more important than they are!
Learning to pray during grief and loss
For instance, during my low time, I remember feeling like all of my prayers were going unanswered. As if, no one could hear me, see me or fix me.
That is right where Satan loves you to be. Alone and lacking faith in God.
So, pray and pray hard for the promises to be easier to remember than your loneliness!
You can find 14 more Bible verses for Grief and Loss here.
So, in order to remember God’s promises, I am sharing 7 Praying the Promises Printable prompts that you can print off and pray when it is hard to do anything.
get your 7 Praying the Promises Prompts
Grab your 7 Free Praying the Promises Printable prompts! Each card has a different promise from God and a prayer to help you pray for strength and understanding. So, sprinkle them throughout your house or work, so you have them where you need them!
Already a subscriber? Click here to download your printable now!
Praying the Promises
I’m sorry you’re going through this trial in life. I pray you find great comfort in His promises during this time.
Lastly, I pray these Praying the Promises printable prompts help you pray for peace and rest.
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Yes, this – “Firstly, I needed to rely on God for everything, not a person. I was reading through God’s promises, but I was still hoping His promises meant my life would return to the normal I had known.” You are exactly right, and it can be so hard when we’re wrapped up in missing our person. It’s only when we submit our lives to Christ completely, rely on Him, and trust Him, that we can move forward in our grief. Thank you so much for this important post. I am positive it will help many grieving!
Thank you so much, Julie! <3 I pray so, too!
I love the suggestion to leave the prayer cards around the house as reminders. I wish I had these when my friend lost her husband recently, I would have tucked these in the envelope with the card.
Thank you Katrina, sorry about your friend’s husband. Loss is so hard.
I can say thankfully that I’ve not lost a loved one to give me this type of grief, but I know the promises used in this way with the cards really works. They work for every trying situation. I need to do that now for other reasons. Thank you for this great post.
Thank you for stopping by Anne!