February 23, 2005

Heavenly Father;

We now pause and reflect on who you are. You are the creator of the world, and you are the One with a love powerful enough to help us through this time of bereavement. Lord, we want to lift YOU up and praise your name and place ALL of our trust in you, that you would surround us with your comforting love. Lord, you are the savior and we bring our requests before you.

Holy God above, for the family who has just lost a loved one, I know there must be an incredible pain that they are bearing right now and I pray that they would feel your presence among them. I pray they would know they are not alone. It is my desire, Lord that immediate comfort and peace would come to them, but your perfect will, not mine. In your time Lord, I ask that you would draw them closer to you, shower them with mercy, love, peace of mind and calm. Please take the hopelessness and despair from them. Where forgiveness is needed, I pray that you would give it generously and that guilt would not have a chance to build up and prolong the pain.

Father, the only way we can make it, the only way we can keep from just laying down in our tears and never recover is by knowing that our Father in heaven is with us, and cares for us, and is bearing our burden. Father, we need to know that you are in the middle of what we are going through and will take our hand and lead us through it. We don’t have the strength to see clearly or the mind to think clearly. We are so pained by our tragic loss that it is all we can do to just look towards you and follow you. I don’t know where you will lead us and it doesn’t matter. Just the fact that you are God, we will trust you and follow you as you take us out of this depression and to a place where we can serve you. We want to remember, and honor our loved one, but not have to endure this heart-wrenching pain for the rest of our lives. Would you give us that hope, that someday, the hurt will ease?

Lord, we trust our loved one is in your presence now, they are with you in heaven and will never hurt again.

I pray for all of us who are saddened today, they we would develop a stronger faith in you, or perhaps a faith for the first time ever. Please use us as your instrument to save the souls of our family and friends who do not yet know you. Reach them Lord, whatever it takes.

Please help me to be a bold witness for your sake. Give me the strength and commitment to live my life in a way that my brothers and sisters who are in mourning right now, would see the joy and hope in my life and want to accept my savior as their own. Change this time of defeat into an overwhelming victory for Your glory! Lord, I pray that lives are forever changed in response to this loss, and in our realization that you first loved us, and are the only way to true, eternal peace and happiness. Praise God, that You are king and are in complete control! Praise God that You can love us through any event such as this sad occasion. Your love conquers all!

We pray this in name of the one who is able – the name of Jesus. Amen.