God of peace, govern their hearts in this time of great confusion. Help them to take their thousand questions and “what ifs,” which swirl furiously in their minds, to Jesus, the Prince of Peace who has the power to calm the storm. As the Holy Spirit helps them take their anxieties to you in prayer, flood their souls with the peace that passes all understanding. When they cannot pray—when their hearts and minds are so overtaken by grief that they cannot find a word—remind them that the Holy Spirit prays for true believers when they do not know how to pray.
God of justice and righteousness, steady their minds with the understanding that you know all things, which includes the final state of their loved one’s soul. Let them not place blame upon themselves that does not rightfully belong to them. Remind them that the Judge of all the earth always judges righteously. Let them rest in this. Let them now concentrate on the state of their own soul before their holy Creator and quickly run to Christ as the Redeemer who came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. May they find the assurance of their own salvation, and eternal life, which you promise to those who turn to Jesus Christ.
God of mercy and grace, may they know your presence as you walk with them through this valley of death. May they know—in an experiential, not merely intellectual way—the sufficiency of your grace! Help them to rest in the truth that they do not need to try to live off of yesterday’s supply, but instead drink from the fresh stream of your mercies that are new this very morning.
God of truth, gently lead them to the green pastures of your Word where they will feed their hurting, doubting souls upon all your righteous judgments and faithful promises. Lead them to streams of living water, which flow from Christ who said “the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
Heavenly Father, knowing that every one of these requests can only be answered in and through and because of Jesus, draw them close to the Savior who invites them to let Him carry their burden. Hold them close in your loving arms. Cause them to know you more deeply as the Father of mercies and God of all comfort so that their every need will be fully met and they—in time—will become ministers of comfort to others.
[Based on 2 Corinthians 1:3-6; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 4:6-8; Romans 8:26; Mark 7:37; Daniel 4:37; Psalm 67:4; Luke 5:30; ; 1 John 5:11-13; Psalm 23:4; 2 Corinthians 12:9; Lamentations 3:21-23; Psalm 23:2; 119:7; John 4:14; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Matthew 11:28-30.]
Counseling One Another
