A Prayer for a Funeral

God of all comfort, we come to You today with hearts that are heavy, to give thanks for a life we loved and to grieve a loss that is real. You do not ask us to pretend we are strong. You have counted every tear in this room.

Thank You for the one we have lost — for the years You gave us together, for laughter around the table, for the ordinary days we did not know were precious, for a love that does not end just because a life has ended. Everything good in them was a gift from Your hand. With trembling hands, we give that gift back to You.

Receive Your servant into Your keeping. Into Your hands, faithful Creator and merciful Savior, we entrust the one we love, trusting that You are gentler than death and stronger than the grave.

Be near to every person gathered here. Hold the family who carry the sharpest edge of this sorrow. Steady those who will stand to speak, and comfort those who cannot find any words at all. Bless the friends who brought meals and sent flowers, and the doctors, nurses, and hospice workers who cared for our loved one with such kindness at the end.

When this service is over and everyone has gone home, do not leave us, Lord. Meet us in the quiet kitchen, in the empty chair, in the middle of the night. Teach us to grieve with hope, and in Your time — not ours — begin to mend what is broken.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

When to Pray This

This prayer can open or close a funeral service, or be read quietly before you walk into one. Feel free to add your loved one's name and change any line so it sounds like you. There is no wrong way to pray at a time like this.

A Verse to Hold On To

"Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." — John 11:25 (KJV)