Prayers for grief and despair
Some losses have a funeral. Others don’t: a church family that’s gone, a version of your life that ended, a faith community you can’t go back to. That grief is real, even when nobody sends flowers.
These prayers sit with sorrow instead of rushing past it. Mourning is not a lack of faith. Even Jesus wept.
Start here
When your heart is actually broken
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
Lord, my heart is broken and my spirit is crushed. But You are close to me. You save those in my condition. Draw near as I draw near to You.
Change any words that don’t fit, or stop at the one line that’s true today. More on this one.
All 43 prayers for grief
Each one pairs a passage with a short prayer. Find the line that matches where you actually are, rather than where you think you should be.
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A Living Hope
When you need something to hope for
Father, in my grief and despair, I cling to Your promise of living hope.
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Comfort in All Troubles
When you need comfort you can pass on
God of all comfort, in my grief I turn to You.
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Hard Pressed But Not Crushed
When you are pressed from every side
Lord, I am hard pressed but You promise I will not be crushed.
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Grace Sufficient
When the thing is not going away
Lord, I have pleaded with You to remove this pain, and yet it remains.
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Let Peace Rule
When you cannot settle
Lord, let the peace of Christ rule in my grieving heart.
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He Will Never Leave
When someone has just left
Lord, in my grief I feel so alone, but You promise to never leave me or forsake me.
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Eyes of the Heart
When you cannot see past today
Father, enlighten the eyes of my heart.
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Empathy in Grief
When you need to be understood
Lord, You wept at the tomb of Lazarus.
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You Are Mine
When you feel like you belong to no one
Father, You created me.
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Planted by Water
When you feel dried out
Father, in my despair I feel like a bush in the wasteland.
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Take Heart
When the day has taken everything
Jesus, You never promised me a trouble-free life, but You promised peace in the midst of trouble.
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Strong and Courageous
When you have to keep going anyway
Lord, You command me to be strong and courageous even in my grief.
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New Every Morning
When you dread waking up again
Father, in my deepest grief, I am not consumed because of Your great love.
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Rest for Your Soul
When you are tired all the way down
Jesus, I am weary and burdened with grief.
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He Sustains Me
When you got through another night
Father, in my grief I lie down and somehow wake again, because You sustain me.
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My Portion
When what is left does not feel like enough
Lord, You alone are my portion and my cup.
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My Rock and Fortress
When you need something to hold onto
Lord, I love You.
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Through the Valley
When you are in the darkest part
Lord, I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but I fear no evil because You are with me.
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Seek His Face
When you want God and cannot find him
Father, my heart says, "Seek His face!" Even in grief, I will seek Your face.
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My Cry for Mercy
When all you can do is cry out
Lord, hear my cry for mercy in this grief.
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Joy Comes in the Morning
When the night has been very long
Lord, weeping has stayed for this long night.
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You Saw My Affliction
When nobody saw what it cost you
Father, I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction.
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He Delivered Me
When fear has been running the day
Lord, I sought You, and You answered me.
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Close to the Brokenhearted
When your heart is actually broken
Lord, my heart is broken and my spirit is crushed.
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Ever-Present Help
When everything is falling apart at once
God, You are my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in this trouble.
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Cast Your Cares
When you are carrying more than you can
Lord, I cast my cares on You.
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My Tears on Your Scroll
When you feel like your crying is wasted
Father, You record my misery.
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Until the Disaster Passes
When you just need to get through it
Father, I hide in the shadow of Your wings until this disaster passes.
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Lead Me to the Rock
When you are worn out and far from home
God, hear my cry!
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Rest in God Alone
When you have nothing left to give
My soul, find rest in God alone.
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He Will Deliver Me
When you need to be got out of this
Father, save me from the snare of despair.
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Consolation Brings Joy
When anxiety has been sitting on you
Father, when grief was great within me, Your consolation brought me joy.
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Light in Darkness
When you need one small light
Lord, even in the darkness of my grief, light dawns.
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He Heard My Voice
When you wonder if praying does anything
Lord, I love You because You heard my voice.
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Good to Be Afflicted
When you are looking for meaning in it
Lord, before I was afflicted I went astray.
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Before Dawn I Cry
When you are awake before it gets light
Lord, I rise before dawn and cry for help.
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He Who Watches
When you feel unwatched and unguarded
Father, You watch over me without slumber or sleep.
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Endures Forever
When you need something that will last
Father, make me like Mount Zion—unshakable, enduring forever.
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Calmed and Quieted
When you need to stop asking for a while
Lord, I calm and quiet my soul.
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No More Tears
When you need to know this ends
Lord, I long for the day when You wipe every tear from my eyes.
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Every Tear Wiped Away
When you need someone to notice the tears
God, wipe every tear from my eyes.
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Nothing Can Separate
When you are afraid you have lost God too
Father, I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither grief nor despair, neither present pain nor future uncertainty, can separate me…
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Overflow With Hope
When your hope has run dry
God of hope, fill me with all joy and peace as I trust in You.
Questions people ask
Is it normal to grieve leaving a church?
Yes, and it is one of the losses nobody sends flowers for. You may have lost a community, a rhythm, a version of your own life and a set of friendships all at once, and there is no funeral for that. Naming it as grief is usually the first thing that helps.
How long does this take?
Nobody can tell you, and anyone who gives you a number is guessing. The prayers here do not assume you are nearly done, and none of them promise it passes by a certain point.
Does grieving mean my faith is weak?
Jesus wept at a funeral for a man he was about to raise. Grief is not a failure of belief; it is what love does when something is gone.
The passages behind these prayers
Some of these come up again and again, in more than one kind of hard day. Each passage has its own page with what was going on when it was written, and what it does not claim: 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 , 2 Corinthians 4:8-18 , Colossians 3:15 , Deuteronomy 31:8 , Ephesians 1:18-21 , Hebrews 4:15-16 , Isaiah 43:1-3a , and Jeremiah 17:5-8 .
When the words still won’t come
Sometimes what you’re carrying doesn’t fit one category. You might also find what you need in prayers for loneliness or prayers for broken trust and betrayal. And if all you can manage today is a single sentence, that counts. God has never graded prayers by length.