18 Short Prayers About Grief for a Grieving Heart

Are you enduring a season of grief? Grief can be isolating, and depressing, and can drag you into a pit of darkness and despair. Do you know how you can overcome these feelings? Prayer. Here are 18 helpful prayers about grief when you need them the most.

When you pray to the Heavenly Father He alone can give you the comfort and strength you need when you’re mourning the loss of a loved one. That said, here’s a ready-made compiled list of prayers about grief to help get you started.

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This post is part of our Hope for Grief: A Grief and Loss Collaboration Series

Best Prayers About Grief for a Grieving Heart

When it comes to praying I will be the first to admit that my prayer life needs help, but I also know that prayer changes things. So, that said I asked the ladies in my Lifegroup for help. This sweet group of women knows my grief journey that started in August when I lost my Mama.

Short Grief Prayers

Now, I don’t know what your grief journey looks like but I’m sure we have common feelings surrounding them that we can relate to. First and foremost, as you start reading these short prayers about grief, trusting God amid grief is crucial.

Prayer for Refuge and Strength

Father God, your word clearly states that you alone are our refuge and strength. You are an ever-present help in our times of distress and trouble. You offer shelter in the shadow of your wings. Though sadness may surround me, I’m asking that you give me peace and hope, as well as renewed strength. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

Prayer Against Feelings of Despair

Gracious Heavenly Father, I’m having feelings of despair. I’ve suffered a heavy loss and you alone know what lies in my heart. Put a shield of protection over my heart and draw me near to you. Help me God for I’m feeling all alone. Embrace me now so I can feel the restorative warmth of Your love. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song, I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7

Prayer for Mourning

Father God, your word says blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Help me feel your unfailing love and everlasting peace. Your love, God’s love, is what I need right now for I’m crushed in spirit and brokenhearted. Help me Lord, for you know every emotion I’m feeling. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalms 34:18

Prayer for Loneliness

Gracious Heavenly Father, I know your word says that nothing can ever separate me from your love. My Lord, help me to feel your ever-present love. Right now I’m feeling lonely Lord, I’m praying for renewed hope and a relationship with You. Help me to know I can grieve with hope. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Prayer Against Depression

Father God, help me feel your presence. Your word says you are the light in the darkness. In my grief and valley of despair please protect me from the lies of the devil. Keep satan from trapping me in the valley of despair and depression. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. Psalms 34:17

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

Prayer Against Fear

Gracious Heavenly Father and mighty Lord, your word is clear. You have not given us a spirit of fear but love and a sound mind. Help me to cling to you when I’m fearful. In my times of sorrow help me to remember your steadfast love and help me draw near to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:7

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Psalms 25:6

Prayer for Strength

Father God, you are my refuge and strength. Will you fill me with power and strength? You see the tears I cry in my grief. Your word says you will wipe away every tear. Supply me with your strength to face each day. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

Prayer from Sadness

Gracious Heavenly Father, I’m tired and weary and need your help. I can’t seem to get past the tragedy and sadness of losing my loved one. Will you be my comfort and shield? I’m praying that you give me rest and hold me up with a mighty hand. Restore my joy and peace Lord so I can be comforted and the depth of your unfailing love for me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Romans 12:12

Prayer to Trust God’s Goodness

Father God, I know I can trust you because you are a loving, faithful God who loves His children. You know what’s inside my heart without me speaking a word. So, you know in my time of sorrow I fail to remember your goodness. Please help me Lord not to forget your loving-kindness and goodness. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. Isaiah 26:4

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9

A Prayer to draw close to God

Gracious Heavenly Father, your word is clear that You are near to the brokenhearted and will draw closer to those who will draw near to You. Please help me fix my eyes on you, not my circumstances of loss and grief. Help me to seek you and fill me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Proverbs 4:25

For we live by believing and not by seeing. 2 Corinthians 5:7

Prayer for Comfort

Father God, you are merciful and compassionate. You are the God of comfort. In the depths of my sorrow, you promise to fill me with your peace. Help me rejoice with the knowledge my loved one is in Heaven experiencing unending joy with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. Psalm 10:17

A Grief Prayer to Find Healing

Gracious Heavenly Father, we know in your word that Jesus is the great physician, and by His stripes, we are healed and restored. Please help me to trust you and hold on to this promise and hold fast to this truth. Help me find the healing that my soul is desperately searching for. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Prayer for Rest

Father God, I’m asking you to provide me with rest. Grief has overwhelmed me and I’m feeling completely broken. Empower my spirit and transform my mind to keep moving forward when I am tired and weary. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord. He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. Psalm 91:1-2

Prayer for Peace

Gracious Heavenly Father, in you, is where I know I need to find my hope, joy, and peace again. Will you pour out a fresh sense of peace so that I experience a stillness in my emotions that brings me rest and comfort? Ease the anxiety I’m feeling in my heart and fill me with your unending peace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

Prayer for Hope

Father God, you are my living hope. While grief may feel like it’s overwhelming me, I know that hope wins in the end. In Christ alone, by faith alone, I have the assurance and hope of Heaven and the good news of the gospel with my salvation in you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

Prayer for Challenges After Loss

Gracious Heavenly Father, you alone know the overwhelming pain I’m feeling in my heart. Some days it’s all I can do to get out of bed to do the simple day-to-day tasks. Please give me the strength I need for the simple challenges in the days ahead. Help me cling to you as I face the obstacles without my loved one. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble. Psalms 46:1

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Prayer to Grieve Well

Father God, you alone know the emotions I’m feeling. You know about pain being fully God and fully Man. You wept the death of Lazarus. In the Garden of Gethsemane, you knew beforehand the outcome, but you obeyed the Father’s will. Please help me to know that I may be weeping now but joy comes soon. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled. “Where have you put him?” he asked them. They told him, “Lord, come and see.” Then Jesus wept. John 11:33-35

Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8

Prayer for Moving On from Loss

Gracious Heavenly Father, at this moment I’m clinging to the poem “Footprints in the Sand” because it says you are with me every step of the way and will carry me through the hard times. Will you give me hope in this promise? Moving on from grief and loss has been so incredibly hard but I’m choosing to trust you, God. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen

Your Turn

I sincerely hope and pray that these 18 short prayers about grief will get you started on the path of healing. Trust me, I’ve been in a season of grief since August and it’s been difficult. However, clinging to the promises of God I know I will see ALL my loved ones again who have accepted salvation in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and you can too.

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