Bereavement Texts
& Prayers
“In such a time of great sorrow and distress, we can trust God with our loved one. The question is “Have we accepted Christ as the Lord of our life so that we can join our loved one in heaven?”[4]. I encourage you to make that commitment today as this moment is ripe for the opportunity of a lifetime.
Prayer: “Lord, help us to know what is most important
in this life and to live for you alone. Comfort our grieving hearts, and bless
the memories of our dear loved one.”[1]
Benediction: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not
discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”
(Isaiah 41:10).
Prayer: “Father,
we gather here to remember the life and mourn the death of our loved one.
We do
not sorrow as those who have no hope, for our hope is in Jesus Christ. We ask
that
You would comfort each family member and friend. May they turn to Your Word
for
comfort, be encouraged through happy memories, be sustained by the hope of the
resurrection for all who place their faith in you, and may the purpose in
their heart to
seek you while You may be found. Amen”[2]
Benediction:
“The Lord bless and keep you; the Lord
make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon
you, and give you peace”
(Numbers 6:24,26)
Prayer: “Today, we are naturally grieved at the loss
of our loved one. But then we also have a reason for great
comfort – we will see our loved one again when Christ returns (“Then those who
are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with our loved ones in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so it will be that we shall
be with Him always” – 1 Thessalonians 4:17). “Father in heaven,
You fashioned us while we were yet in our mother’s womb. You provided for us,
an have
guided us through this life. Now we are faced with the reality of death, for our
loved one has
come to the end of life. Even now, we put our trust in you. Give us comfort in
our sorrow.Help us
to focus our attention upon You, on the eternity You offer when we follow You.
We pray these
things, in Jesus name. Amen”[3]
§
Job 19:25
- 26 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer
lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.26 “Even
after my skin is destroyed, Yet from my flesh I shall see God
§
Psalm 46:
1 - 2 God is our refuge and strength, A very
present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear
§
Isaiah
40: 28 – 31 Do you not know? Have
you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends
of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding
is inscrutable. 29 He gives strength to
the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases
power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
§
Isaiah 43:
1 – 3 But now, thus says the Lord,
your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do
not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name;
you are Mine! 2 “When you pass through the
waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow
you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will
the flame burn you.
3 “For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior
3 “For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior
§
Nahum 1:
7 The Lord is good, A
stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in
Him.
§
Matthew
5: 4 “Blessed are those who
mourn, for they shall be comforted.
§
Matthew
28:20 “I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.”
§
John 11:
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies
§
John 14:
1 – 6 “Do not let your heart be
troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In
My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have
told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 If
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to
Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And
you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas *said
to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus
*said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life;
no one comes to the Father but through Me.
§
John 14:
27 Peace I
leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to
you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
§
2
Corinthians 1: 3 – 4 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of
all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our
affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any
affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
§
2
Corinthians 5: 1,6, 8 For we know
that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we
have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the
heavens. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and
knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 8 we
are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body
and to be at home with the Lord.
§
2
Corinthians 12: 9 And He has said to
me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in
weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about
my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
§
Philippians
3: 20 – 21 For our citizenship
is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ; 21 who will transform the body of
our humble state into conformity with the body of His
glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all
things to Himself.
§
John 11:
25 – 26 Jesus said to her, “I
am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he
dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in
Me will never die. Do you believe this?
§
1
Thessalonians 4: 13 – 16 But we
do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so
that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.14 For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with
Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For
this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are
alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not
precede those who have fallen asleep.16 For the
Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of
God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we
who are alive and remain will be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall
always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort
one another with these words.
§
2 Timothy
4: 7 – 8 7 I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have
kept the faith; 8 in the future there is
laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also
to all who have loved His appearing.
§
1 Peter
1: 3 – 9 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great
mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which
is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade
away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who
are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In
this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if
necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so
that the [d]proof of your faith, being more
precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by
fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you
have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but
believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of
glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your
faith the salvation of your souls.
§
Hebrews
13: 5 – 6 for He Himself has said, “I will never
desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that
we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
§
Revelation
14: 13 And I heard a voice from
heaven, saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now
on!’” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “so that they may rest from their
labors, for their deeds follow with them.”
§
Revelation
21: 1 – 7 Then I
saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first
earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And
I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven
from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And
I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of
God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His
people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no
longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning,
or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” 5 And He
who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He
*said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then
He said to me, “ It is done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give
to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. 7 He
who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will
be My son.
References:
Nelson’s Minister’s Manual, (USA: Thomas Nelson, 2003)
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Written by Kevin A. Hall
(05.20.2018)
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