Praying our Goodbyes
Prayer When A Loved One Has Died
is a book written by Joyce Rupp. The second half of the book contains 24 prayers for those who in need of saying farewell to people or seasons in life. The first half of Praying our Goodbyes talks about spirituality in the midst of loss. The book has several prayers for grief and prayers that could be used as funeral prayers.
Prayer When A Loved One Has Died
In this section Joyce Rupp invites the reader to reflect on the joys and blessings of the loved one’s life. She invites the reader to pour out their feelings of sadness, despair, and anger to God. She offers a page-long prayer reflecting on the death of Jesus and the loss his friends experienced and a reminder of the promises of heaven. She also offers some scriptures for reflection. The prayer ending this section is as follows:
“I take my loved one by the hand and lead her (him) to you, God of love. Here is _________ (name). Accept my love and thanksgiving as I entrust her (him) into your loving care. I want _________ to be free to be at home with you. I ask that you save a place for me there beside her (him) and that you be my loving presence in all the lonely moments that await me. I ask that you fill me with motivation and energy in the days ahead when I feel like giving up; remind me often of my true homeland when I am caught up in the desolation of the journey. Help me to find joy in the people, events, and the beauty of nature which surround me.
Thank you for the gift of _________ in my life. I want to believe that we will celebrate the treasure of our love again, when we are both in your presence forever. May this truth sustain me in the days to come. Take my sad and aching heart and comfort me. Comfort me, for I can only feel hollowness and emptiness. God of the sorrowing, draw near! Amen.”
Read about praying with the Psalms of Lament in the
Grief Journey article. Make
online prayer requests. Return from Sample Prayers to
Inspirational Prayers.