As our loved ones near the end of their life, we can pray for God’s mercy, grace, and love to ease their passing from this life. Here we have collected 10 powerful prayers for the dying and severely ill to help you pray for their comfort and strength.
“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (Christians)” ~ Ephesians 6:18
If you stay in touch with me and absorb what I say, you can achieve anything. (NLT) John 15:7
Making petitions to God is something we are obligated to do. One of the most elementary reasons to pray is that God ordered it. Becoming a disciple is dedicating oneself fully to God’s will.
“Stay on the lookout and pray for help from above. You’ll cave in to temptation if you don’t. The mind and heart are on board, but the physical self is lagging. New Living Translation of Matthew 26:41
Then Jesus used a parable to drive home the point that constant prayer was essential. (Lucas 18:1)
Furthermore, make your requests known to the Holy Spirit at all times. Don’t forget this while you keep praying for and keeping an eye on God’s saints. (NIV) Bible verse cited (Ephesians 6:18)
What’s the Point if I Can’t Pray?
If you find yourself at a loss for words in prayer, have faith that the Holy Spirit will direct you:
When we are weak, the Spirit makes us strong. The Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf when we have no idea what to pray for. The Holy Spirit intercedes on behalf of the righteous in accordance with God’s purpose, and anybody who studies our hearts will know the thoughts of the Spirit. Romans 8:26–27, New International Version
Prayer For Souls Catholic
We all will experience death one day, but that doesn’t make it an easy thing to face. We can so easily fear the end of our lives or focus our attention on things of this world instead of the glory to come in heaven, but we as believers can take comfort that God cares about our grief and Jesus understands our pain.
Like Job 14:5 says, “A man’s days are numbered. You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set.” God has a specific plan for each and every one of our lives, even if we might wish for a different outcome for ourselves or our loved ones. His plans are perfect and he desires the very best for each of his beloved children. We can find great peace in the presence of our Lord, even in our grief, our fear, our pain, and our final breaths.
Here are 10 prayers for the dying and the mourning:
A Prayer for Those Who Fear Dying
A Prayer for Those Who Fear Dying
Dear God,
You are God, and I’m not. You sent Jesus to be my Savior, so I must need to be saved. I need you to forgive the things I’ve done wrong in life. I need you to give me a fresh start in life. I need you to help me know my purpose. I want to begin a relationship with you. I ask you to come into my life. I want to learn to trust you. I want to learn to love you. I want to learn to love other people the way you want me to. So I ask you today with humility and honesty and sincerity to please save me as I put my trust in you.
I pray this prayer in Jesus’ Name. Amen
Photo credit: Unsplash-Annie-Spratt
This content was adapted from “Settle Your Destiny So You Can Help Others Do the Same” by Rick Warren.
A Prayer for Funerals
A Prayer for Funerals
Dear Jesus,
How remarkable it is to have a savior who weeps with me.
Back when I was in elementary school, I loved John 11:35 for its brevity. “Jesus wept.” My friends and I would giggle, pleased that we had discovered the second-shortest verse in the Bible. (The shortest verse, as we gleefully reminded each other, was Job 3:2, “He said.”) I didn’t pay much attention to the context of John 11: the story of how You were en route to the tomb of Your friend Lazarus, in the company of Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha, mere days after Lazarus’ death. I didn’t dwell long on the significance of Your tears.
How different that verse looks to me today. Today, as I see the casket topped with flowers that blur at the edges because my eyes go damp every time I look in their direction.
Today, as pastors and friends and family members speak about my loved one using the past tense instead of the present. Today, as the words of the hymns catch in my throat and render me mute. Today, as the hope I still hold to be true collides with the waves of sorrow suffocating me.
Today, “Jesus wept” means everything to me.
Today, I remember that You wept because someone dear to You and dear to people You loved had died. Even though You already knew the end of the story—even though You knew that death wouldn’t have the final word—still You wept. You didn’t stand aloof, offering textbook reassurances and condescending pats on the head. You heard the stories, clutched the shaking hands, walked to the tomb, and shed tears of your own. You grieved the loss, and You grieved with those who felt that same stinging loss.
Today, Jesus, I am thankful to worship a God who became human enough to weep with me.
Photo credit: Unsplash-stephen-radford
This content was adapted from “A Funeral Prayer” by Gregory Coles.
A Prayer For All Our Tears
A Prayer For All Our Tears
Dear Jesus,
Today, I cry tears that mean a hundred things at once, happy and sorrowful and desperate and hopeful. I trust You to sort them out as You catch them, to hear and answer each prayer they represent.
I cry for those of us left behind, for the lonely ones with hollows in our hearts. I ask You to comfort us, give peace, restore hope, and lavish us with love, family, and belonging. In the depths of loss, meet us with Yourself.
I cry for the legacy this loved one leaves, for the ways the world has been made different by their presence, for the memories that become both more beautiful and more painful on this side of death. And I pray that the work You have accomplished in this remarkable life will grow deeper, wider, and stronger in the days to come, uninhibited by a weak opponent like death.
I cry for those who haven’t yet accepted Your invitation into eternal life, for those who grieve without hope today. I pray for awakening in their hearts, for a stirring that draws to You. I pray for more attendees at the grand reunion scheduled in the coming eternity.
I cry for all the ways the world has gone wrong, and for all the ways You’re making it right again. I ask that You make me part of Your work in bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth.
I cry knowing You are here with me. And because You are here, even my tears have meaning.
Photo credit: Unsplash-tom-pumford
This content was adapted from “A Funeral Prayer” by Gregory Coles.
A Prayer for When You Grieve a Lost Loved One
A Prayer for When You Grieve a Lost Loved One
Lord,
My heart is feels like a thousand knives are running through it. I am weary, spent, and just so sad. Please, help me! Hear my prayers. Hold me and my family up. Give us strength. Be present. Be persistent in your love. Carry us through this heartache. Sustain us. Bring us joy and hope.
In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Photo credit: Unsplash-geetanjal-khannah
This content was adapted from “When We Grieve a Loved One in Heaven” by Lisa Appelo.
A Prayer for Fear of the Sting of Death
A Prayer for Fear of the Sting of Death
As 1 Corinthians 15:54–55 says, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
Where is the sting of death for the believer? It is ripped out, because at the cross, Jesus took the stinger out of death. This is a great truth. As Christians, we no longer need to fear death because our souls will live on forever with Christ.
Dear Lord, we will face many terrifying events throughout this life, but may we never forget that the ultimate victory belongs to you. Through your sacrifice, death has been defeated. As we continue to walk in your truth, help us to set our eyes on Heavenly things.
Amen.
Photo credit: Unsplash-jacob-meyer
This content was adapted from “Removing the Sting” by Greg Laurie.
A Prayer for Those in the Midst of Tragedy
Dear God,
Our hearts are grieving with those who are hurting, for those who have lost loved ones, for those who have suffered such great tragedy at the hands of evil. We ask that you would be their Comforter, that you would cover them with your grace and mercy, surrounding them in peace during this dark time.
We thank you that you alone are our Refuge, our Strong Tower, our Defender, and our Peace. We thank you that no matter what we face, you are still on the throne, you are still in control, and that no evil can ever stand against you. It will be defeated, it will not win. For you alone have won the final victory, and the enemy’s days are numbered.
We ask that by your mighty power, you would bring down the forces of darkness, that you would thwart the plans of all those who plot to attack and destroy, that you would draw out of darkness those souls who need to know you as Savior and Lord. We praise you for your power to set the captives free. We know that only in You do we have the hope to face dark and uncertain times. For our future is secure through the sacrifice of Christ.
Thank you God that you are surely with us…thank you that you care…thank you that your Presence is close…and that you weep with those who weep. We need you. We know and believe beyond any doubt, that your power and love will never fail.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus,
the Name Above All Names,
Amen.
Daily Prayer For Souls In Purgatory
Upon quickly scanning an email a stranger sent me about a spirit who is interfering with his attempts to communicate with his spirit guides I saw the following vision:
A woman in a long white dress or gown, Victorian style, running through the trees. Someone is in hot pursuit. She keeps looking over her right shoulder and is crying. It’s night, the forest is dark. The leaves are blocking out the moonlight. She stumbles and falls. She appears to have hit her head on a rock. At that point I seem to be standing over her in the vision, then everything goes dark.
The person who emailed me did so after reading my article on How to Contact Your Spirit Guides. It’s very popular and it drives a great deal of traffic to my site. He told me he regularly contacts his guides, but lately a spirit has stood in the way. The spirit keeps asking for help and he has no idea who it is or what type of help they may need. That’s the gist of his email. He never mentions the spirit’s gender or anything else about it prior to my reply.
I reply with an explanation of what I am seeing and also some tips on how he can help this spirit into the light so she can crossover. Then he replies that the voice he hears asking him for help is that of a woman. The gender of the spirit is now confirmed.
I then ask him where he lives because I sense the area has a lot of history and that if he did some research he may find mention of this poor woman’s death.
Queen of Wands, from the Ghosts & Spirits Tarot, copyright Lisa Hunt & US Games, Inc., 2011.
Queen of Wands, from the Ghosts & Spirits Tarot, copyright Lisa Hunt & US Games, Inc., 2011.
He replies that he lives in a small village and he has heard a story about a woman who was a healer. She was found at the bottom of a well and had been dressed in a long white gown. No further information is available. He suspects the woman in my vision was her.
Just another day in my life with visions that come unbidden, but I sure hope it helps this poor woman’s spirit to find lasting peace. The man who emailed me is going to try two methods I sent him to help a spirit crossover. I include them here in case any of you need the information:
Method 1: Visualization.
Mentally guide the spirit into the light. Find a quiet place to sit and reflect. Ask for protection as you would prior to a session with your spirit guides, then ask your own spirit guides AND angels to come forward & tell them you are gathered to help this spirit crossover.
Next, envision the White Light. What I do when I have done this for spirits is I envision a doorway filled with blinding white light. I tell the spirit this is the Light of Heaven, it is where they are meant to go so they can be reunited with their own spirit guides & angels to go over lessons learned & lessons yet to be deciphered, and from there they can go on to reunite with loved ones and then move on to their next phase, whatever that may be. I stress to them it is safe, they will not be harmed & that this is where they are truly meant to go and they will be accepted with unconditional love & receive the healing & guidance they require.
Method 2: Invoke Archangel Michael for help.
Ask Archangel Michael to guide the spirit to the other side. Michael is the Conveyor of Souls. He gathers lost spirits to him & guides them on over. All that is required is a white candle, calling on your own protection, then lighting it for the spirit and asking Michael to help it crossover. You do this by invoking him & you can use the Catholic prayer below or pray to him in your own words. I suggest using your own words, especially since the spirit may be afraid to crossover not knowing what awaits them. The prayer here is for protection and it’s kind of heavy-handed for the situation, but I’m including it anyway.
Archangel Saint Michael,
Defend us in our battles.
Be our protection against the wickedness & snares of the devil,
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray.
And do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host,
By the power of God,
Thrust into hell
Satan & all evil spirits who roam the world
For the ruin of souls. AMEN.
