A prayer you can pray right now
A Prayer for a Dying Loved One
There may be no harder place to pray from than the bedside of someone you love who is dying. The prayers change here. You may no longer be asking for a cure, but for peace, for no more pain, for a good passing, for the courage to stay and the grace to let go. This is holy and heavy ground, and there is no right way to feel on it. God is not asking you to be strong or to have the theology sorted. He is asking to be near you and near them. Below is a prayer for this room, whether you speak it aloud over them or pray it silently through your tears.
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”Psalm 23:4
“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.”Psalm 116:15
“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
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”Psalm 34:18
A prayer you can pray
Father, I am sitting with someone I love as their life draws toward its end, and I do not have the strength for this on my own. Be near to them now. Take away their pain, quiet their fear, and let them know they are loved and not alone. If it is time, let their passing be gentle and full of peace. Thank You that death is precious in Your sight and not the end of the story. Hold me, too, in this grief that is already beginning. Give me strength to stay present, words to say what needs saying, and the grace to let them go into Your hands, which are safer than mine. Even here, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me. In Jesus name, amen.
How to pray this
Pray this softly, at the bedside, however you can. Do not underestimate the ministry of simply being present and speaking love and blessing over someone as they go. The Psalm you can whisper is the oldest comfort there is: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. Let Scripture reframe what you are watching; the Bible says, Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints, which means this passing is not unseen or uncared for by heaven. And bring your own grief to the God who is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. You are allowed to fall apart. Ask others to sit with you and pray with you. You should not carry this alone.
The One who hears this prayer
Jesus stood at the grave of His friend Lazarus and wept, even knowing what He was about to do. So He does not ask you to hold back your tears or to feel nothing. And then He said the words that changed everything about death: I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. For those who are His, death is not a wall but a door, and Jesus is standing on the other side of it. That does not erase the grief; it plants hope inside it. You can entrust the one you love to the Savior who has already walked through death and come back holding its keys.
Who is Jesus? · Begin with Jesus · Ask someone to pray with you
Questions people ask
What can I say to someone who is dying?
Say the true and simple things: I love you. Thank you. I am here. It is okay. You are not alone. You can read the twenty-third Psalm aloud, speak a blessing over them, and tell them what they have meant to you. Words of love and peace are a real gift in these hours, whether or not they can answer.
I am afraid for where they are going. What do I do with that?
Bring that fear honestly to God rather than carrying it silently. You can pray for them right up to the end, entrusting them to a God who is merciful beyond what we can measure and who meets people in ways we do not always see. Their eternity is in the hands of the One who loves them even more than you do.
How do I survive the grief that is coming?
You take it one hour at a time, and you do not take it alone. Let people carry you, and bring your sorrow to the God who is close to the brokenhearted. Grief is love with nowhere to go, and it is not a lack of faith. When you are ready, there is a place to name it and find company in it, and the God who weeps with those who weep.