Father God,

Today, I pray for those who are mourning. So many have suffered loss in some form or another. We hear on the news of children’s deaths. We hear from friends of returning cancer that takes away security. We hear from others of unexpected lawsuits. We hear of our patients’ broken lives where years have been stolen by illness.

What we hear from those whose lives we touch are only a drop in an ocean of mourning that Your people experience upon this fallen earth. Were we to see as You do all the mourning in its entirety we would be crushed.

Lift us up that we might walk with those who are suffering and mourning. Let Your Strength work through us as Your Hands and Feet to those who mourn. Let the comfort You give and have given us be a comfort to those who now walk in the paths of mourning. Restore joy by Your presence through our shared tears.

In Christ’s Name,

Amen.