A Comforting Prayer For a Loss

You may know someone who recently lost a loved one and is grieving that loss. As a Christian, you should be there as the salt and light and minister to those who are grieving. If the grieving person is a Christian, then it is even more important that you be with your fellow brother or sister in Christ, as the Bible tells us that we should weep with those who weep. As a church community, we should be there for those who are suffering, praying for them and encouraging them.

Romans 12:15-16

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

There are different kinds of “loss” that a person may suffer. A “loss” is not limited to when someone loses a loved one. It could be that a person’s business went bankrupt for some reason, or perhaps a person is applying for their dream job or school, yet their application was rejected. There are many different circumstances that people may feel a “loss”. Regardless of what circumstance it is, as Christians, we should be God’s channel of grace and comfort and show sympathy for those at a loss and minister to them.

If you have a brother or sister in Christ who is suffering, one thing you can pray for is that they always remain in the church community and never turn away from their faith. If they are not a Christian, then the most important thing you can pray for is for them to know Christ in their season of suffering. There are things for which only the children of God can ask.

You can pray this prayer for your fellow brother or sister in Christ who is suffering:

Father in heaven, I pray that You preserve and give [name of the person] the grace and mercy they need as they persevere and go through a season of loss. I thank You, Father, because You are gracious and merciful, such that even in this season, Your steadfast love endures. Thank You, Father, because it is You who sustains them as they go through this difficult season. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

You can pray this prayer if the person has not yet repented and surrendered their life to Christ. A Comforting Prayer For a Loss example is

Father in heaven, I pray for [name of the person] that in this season, they will encounter your grace, mercy, and love displayed by what Jesus has done on the cross for them. Turn their heart of stone to a heart of flesh, such that they will repent from their life of sin and follow Christ. Open their spiritual eyes, Father, so that they may see why Jesus is the very person that they need, not just in their season of suffering, but in their entire life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How do you pray for a grieving family?

If you know a person or family who has lost a loved one, praying for God’s comfort, grace, and mercy as they go through that season are some of the things you can pray for them. If the person or family are Christians, and the one who died is also a Christian, you can add something about knowing that the person who died is now in a much better place with God and that they will see each other in the future in heaven. It is essential to take note of the difference between non-Christians who grieve and Christians who grieve. Non-Christians are more devastated because they don’t have the future hope that Christians have in Christ. On the other hand, Christians see death differently because they know that death is not the end. After all, Christ has conquered death. When Christians mourn, they will certainly miss the person, but they are not as devastated as others.

You can pray this prayer of comfort for someone or a family who has lost a loved one but are not in Christ:

Father in heaven, I pray that as [person/family] go through this season of grieving, that they will encounter Your grace, mercy, and love through Christ. I thank You, Father, because You are a gracious God. Thank You, Jesus, because You are gentle, and in this season where they are tired from weeping and grieving, they can come to You for rest and comfort. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Here is a prayer of comfort that you can pray for Christians who are grieving:

Heavenly Father, I thank You because You are their comforter. I thank You because You are near to them and You bind up and heal their broken hearts. In Christ, they have the grace to endure and persevere. Thank You, Father, because death is not the end, for Your Son Jesus has conquered death and in Him we have eternal life. We look forward to the day where we will get to meet [Christian who died] in heaven where we will all enjoy Your presence, and everything will be perfect. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

How do you pray for someone going through a tough time?

As mentioned before, losing a loved one is not the only kind of loss that a person may go through. That “loss” may be something else entirely, but one thing is for sure, that person is going through a tough time. If that person is not a Christian, this is a chance for you to preach Christ and pray for the person. Regardless of what the person is going through, Christ is the only one who can bring not just comfort, but also peace and hope for that person.

If a person has lost their business or job, here is a prayer that you can pray as you comfort them:

Father in heaven, I thank You because losing a job/business is not the end of everything. Thank You, Father, because identity does not hinge on our job/business, how much we earn, how much we have in our bank accounts, or the material possessions we have. Our identity is in Christ. In Christ, we are forgiven, loved, complete, and whole by what He has done on the cross. Whether rich or poor, we have these unsearchable riches that can only be found in Christ. In Christ, we can have joy that can never be taken away from us, and we are adopted as Your son/daughter. In Christ, we have eternal life, which is infinitely better than any riches or prestige in this world. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If the person experiencing a loss is a Christian, you can pray this prayer as you comfort them:

Father in heaven, we thank You because as we go through trials and tribulations, we can take heart, for Christ has already overcome the world. Thank You, Father, because everything works together for our good, even the bad things in life. Thank You, Father, because in Christ we have everything. Even if we lose our business/job, house, or any other material wealth that we have, we are still content and satisfied in Christ. We still have joy. By Your grace, we can still praise You and be grateful to You for all the grace and mercy that You have shown us. It is You, Father, who gives us the grace to endure and to persevere in times of suffering. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Being rejected is also an instance where you can comfort other people. Some rejections are painful and cut deep. For example, a person can be rejected by the dream company a person wants to work for. A person can also be rejected by their own family. Nonetheless, we should pray for those who experience rejection because it is painful to experience.

You can pray this prayer for those who have experienced rejection:

Father in heaven, we thank You because we are loved and affirmed in Christ. It is only Your love and affirmation that we need. In this season of pain, Your presence is with us, and You are the one who heals our broken hearts. Thank You, Father, because you are the God of mercy and comfort who comforts us in times of affliction. In Jesus’ name. I pray. Amen.

If the person you prayed for is a Christian, such a prayer will minister to them. If they are not, it will point them to the kind of love that can only be obtained through Christ.

What does God say about difficult times?

The Bible is very clear that we shall experience trials, hardships, sufferings, and tribulations (relevant Bible verses below). The teaching that once you become a Christian, everything will be perfect is false teaching. That’s like only embracing what we like from the Bible, but disregarding what we don’t like, even if it is the truth. Jesus spoke about suffering, and so did the apostles. Even Paul and the apostles suffered. Although we don’t glorify suffering, it should be understood that the Bible does not say that Christians will never suffer. However, what makes those in Christ different from those who aren’t is that those in Christ are stormproof, no matter what they go through in their lives. Following Jesus does not mean a stormless life, but a stormproof one. That is why those in Christ can still smile and laugh, even in times of suffering, because Christ is their joy. The overflowing grace and joy that they receive in Christ enables them to still praise, worship and thank God, despite the troubles they are navigating. When the apostle Paul wrote that “he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him”, he wrote that while in prison, not in a season of affluence. No matter what afflictions Christians go through, they can still count it all as joy, knowing that the testing of their faith produces steadfastness in which they are being sanctified to become more like Jesus. They can take heart with whatever tribulation they encounter because Christ has overcome the world. 

Psalm 34:19

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.

2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2 Corinthians 1:5

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

Romans 5:3-5

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 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 8:18

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 8:28

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.

Romans 8:35

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Philippians 4:10-13

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

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.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

1 Peter 5:10

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

The verses above talk about suffering, but the bright side to this is that it also talks about the hope that we have in Christ and how God strengthens us and enables us to live a dynamic and victorious life, even in the season of suffering. For those in Christ, there is hope in knowing that whatever suffering they go through in their temporary life here on earth, it is nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed to them. They can persevere and endure in the faith because of the grace with which God has been sustaining them. Even if they have lost something or someone, their world does not crumble down because Christ is their foundation and living water.

That is why the Gospel is what a non-believer urgently needs if they are going through a season of loss. If a person is not in Christ, what God has for them is wrath due to their sin. The most important thing you can pray for a suffering person is for them to repent and surrender their life to Christ, at which point they will become a child of God. God becomes their Father who would comfort them, strengthen them, and give them the grace they need as they go through sufferings and hardships. How can God be near if there is a wall of sin? Surely, God can show grace both to the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45), but the children of God receive a truly sacred kind of grace.