When a Friend Has Someone Close to Them Die Quick Prayer

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”
-Jesus (Matthew 5:4)

Its a sad day when w know of someone who died.  Sometimes we don’t know how to respond when we know that a friends grandparent or parent dies.  So how do we care for those who are bereaving?  We should not be afraid to talk about death, or to ask about caring for those who are experiencing it.

Experiencing grief over the storms of personal loss is natural.  But giving yourself the time and space to grieve fully is hard, especially in our society where everyone is so busy and so eager to “fix” things.  Even well-meaning friends will tell you, “Hurry up and get over it already!”  Grieving looks different to different people.  Sometimes people need to be mad, sometimes people need to cry.  Sometimes people feel relieved.  Sometimes people get closer to God, sometimes further away.  Some people need friends close by, and some people need space.  Let’s assume that other people do not handle grief the way that you do.  I know it is hard to know how to talk about death, or to help someone who is dealing with loss.  We need to be respectful by offering prayer for people, and being available.

Some of you may not know how to care for anyone who experienced a close loss.  These tips may help:

1. Pray.  Before we can help, we need to invite Jesus to guide our emotions, and our actions.  Ask God to comfort us, so we can comfort others.

2. Do not avoid them when you see them.  They have had a very emotional experience, and may need a hug.  They need to know that people recognize them, and that they are cared for.

3. They may need to talk.  Sometimes we want to give advice, but listening to them share stories and express their feelings is more helpful.  When we lose someone we love, we want to just be in the presence of loving friends who listen to what we are thinking.  Lets make sure we have an atmosphere of open ears, and open hearts.

4. Pray.  When we do not know how to help, we can ALWAYS pray to God.  Praying lets God hear our cares, and it helps us reflect on the realities we deal with.  Prayer lets us help when we feel like we cannot.  God cares for those who mourn.  The scripture above proves that.  Jesus actually promises a blessing on those who mourn.  We should not be scared to mourn, but encourage the process.

For some, it may be uncomfortable or weird to talk about death, especially since it is the death of someone we know, but talking about death is never wrong.  The church should be a place to encourage you to talk about death with a parent, a school counselor, or with a pastor.  These events are sad things that have happened in our community, and there should be space for you to talk about your feelings and thoughts around this.  My prayer is that mentors and others will not shy away from talking to you about death, and that everyone will be compassionate and helpful for those in loss.