A Prayer for Those Who Gather to Mourn

God of all comfort, look on everyone gathered here in sorrow. You see the tears that fall and the ones held back; You hear the words spoken and the grief too deep for words.

Draw near to each mourning heart — the spouse, the child, the parent, the friend — for You have promised to be close to the brokenhearted.

Let no one leave this place alone. Knit us together in kindness, so we may carry this sorrow side by side, and find, in time, Your comfort waiting.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

When to Pray This

Pray this at a wake, a visitation, or any gathering where grief fills the room. It is short enough to say from memory, and gentle enough to pray silently while you sit with someone who is weeping.

A Verse to Hold On To

"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." — Matthew 5:4 (KJV)