A Christian Prayer For A Funeral

We know as Christians that our life here on earth is just temporary and what we should look forward to more is the eternity that we will spend with God later on. On average, a person lives a bit over seventy years. Seven decades may seem a very long time; however, our lives are very short compared to eternity. That is why the Bible tells us to always set our minds on the things above and always seek heavenly treasures because everything in this world is temporary. But the heavenly treasures that you seek will last for eternity in heaven when you get there through Christ alone. 

That is why funerals for Christians are different than funerals for those who are not. While funerals are always a sad thing, non-believers usually have greater pain and suffering when someone dies. Some even cannot accept what just happened at all. However, it is different for us Christians. While we may be sad because we will miss a person, there is this hope and joy that we feel simultaneously because we know that we shall see them again in heaven. In other words, because Christians have an eternal perspective of death, they know it is not the end but the beginning. They are not that devastated, and they still have joy. Of course, this eternity with God after death that we are talking about is available only for those who are in Christ—people who believed in the person and work of Christ and repented of their sins.

Knowing that death is not the end for us Christians, you can pray this prayer with your fellow brothers/sisters in Christ who have lost someone (provided that the person who died is also a Christian):

Heavenly Father, we thank You because death is never the end for us. We thank You because we can have joy and hope for [the person who died], knowing that Your Son has covered them with His blood and that they have eternal life in Christ. Thank You, Father, because death is not something we should fear, for Your Son Jesus had already conquered death when He resurrected from the grave; in Him, we can live.

We look forward to the time when we will meet [person who died] in heaven. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How do you pray at a funeral?

Contrary to other religious practices, we as Christians don’t pray for the deceased person. Instead, we pray for the family and friends of the person who died. If we pray for the person who died, we simply thank God they are now with Him. But, as mentioned, those prayers can be prayed only if the person who died is a follower of Christ. Remember that salvation is in Christ alone. There is no other way to salvation other than Christ.

So, what can you pray for the families and friends who lost a loved one? One thing that you can pray for is comfort. Whether they are Christians or not, they would need comfort. Even if the family or friends are Christians, they will still be sad because it will be a while before they meet the Christian loved one who died. And if the family and friends are not Christians, then all the more you should minister and pray to them for comfort because their view of death is different from Christians. They are probably devastated and in pain.

You can pray this prayer for comfort with the Christian family and friends who have lost someone:

Father in heaven, we thank You because in Christ You are our comforter. Your presence is with [people who lost someone] as they go through this pain and suffering, and You will never leave them nor forsake them in this season that they are going through. Thank You, Father, because You are the God of all mercies and all comfort, Who comforts them in all of their affliction. As they share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If you are praying this prayer for non-Christians, you can just focus on God being merciful and the one who comforts us. Things mentioned in the prayer above only make sense for Christians. One distinction is the difference between being in Christ and not. Here is how you can pray for comfort for families and friends who are not Christians:

Father in heaven, I pray for the family and friends of [person who died] that You would be gracious and merciful to them and that You would comfort them as they go through this time of pain and suffering. I pray that they will turn during this season to Christ, Who is the only One who can restore them. I pray that they will see Christ in this season of their lives. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Another thing that you can pray for friends and families who have lost someone is the grace to persevere and endure. With all the trials, tribulations, obstacles, and sufferings we encounter in this life, we can persevere and endure only by God’s grace. Even non-Christians, who can endure despite life’s difficulties, are able to persevere only because of God’s common grace and mercy. Here is how you can pray for God’s grace and mercy upon friends and families who have lost someone:

Heavenly Father, we thank You because You are gracious and merciful. I pray that You would give the family and friends of [person who died] the mercies they need every single day as well the grace to persevere and endure despite the season of pain that they are going through. Thank You, Father, because in Christ, and only in Christ, they can still live a dynamic and victorious life despite the season they are going through. (Include the following if the family and friends are not Christians) I pray that they will encounter Jesus this season and know the grace and mercy that You have for them in Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Another thing that you can pray for the grieving family and friends is joy. Despite the season of pain from having lost someone, they can still praise, worship, thank God, and have joy. However, you can only pray this prayer for those families and friends who are in Christ, simply because joy is found in Christ alone. Here is how you can pray for joy and even gratitude for a Christian family and friends who have lost someone:

Father in heaven, I thank You because even in this season of pain, they can still count it as joy because the season they are going through produces steadfastness in them and sanctifies them. Thank You, Father, because their joy is not dependent on their circumstances but is hinged on Christ. Even if they have lost someone, they can still praise, worship, and give thanks to You for the many graces and mercies that You have been giving them. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

What’s a good scripture for comfort?

The Bible is very clear, especially in the New Testament, that we shall encounter tribulations and suffering in this life. It is written in Romans 5:1-5 and Romans 8:18:

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

Romans 5:1-5

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

Romans 8:18

Jesus, Himself said in John 16:33 that we will have tribulations in this world:

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

The comfort that He gives us is that we can be of good cheer or take heart because He has overcome the world. The good thing is that the Bible provides a lot of verses that comfort Christians whenever they find themselves in the season of suffering. The context of those verses in the New Testament is that Christians of the early church were also suffering. Here are good Bible verses that you can always meditate upon and even encourage fellow Christians who have lost a loved one to study: 

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

James 1:2-4

2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

‎Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Matthew 5:4

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Matthew 11:28-30

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Psalm 23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Psalm 23:6

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 147:3

He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Reading these verses makes us appreciate even more the work of Christ. Because of the work of Christ on the cross, we enjoy a righteous standing before God, as Jesus paid the penalty of our sin. Because of that, we become recipients of grace and can experience the things mentioned in the Bible verses suggest. Being a Christian does not mean living a stormless life, it means living a stormproof life. In Christ, even as we go through the season of pain for having lost someone, we can still thrive, persevere, and endure because of the grace that we receive from God through Christ. We are never afraid of the valley of darkness because we know that Christ is our shepherd and that God’s goodness and mercies will always follow us wherever we are. When we grow tired and weary, we can always come to Christ, Who is gentle. We can also count it all as joy because it produces steadfastness in us, making us increasingly like Christ.

That also shows the importance of preaching the Gospel to those who haven’t yet believed and repented. That means that the greatest way to minister to people in pain because of having lost someone is to preach the Gospel to them. Only through Christ and in Christ can they have the grace and mercy that enables Christians to persevere, endure, and have joy amid life’s difficulties.