This suicide grief prayer connects you with God’s help as you mourn the tragic death of someone you know and love.

Suicide Grief Prayer

God, I’m really struggling after the suicide death of ­­­­________ 

Be with me in my grief. 

Help me handle my questions and regrets. 

Don’t let this tragedy rob me of my good memories.

Guide me to someone I can talk to about my feelings. 

Show me how to put my hope in you and stand on you promise that “neither life nor death” can separate me or __________ from your love.  (Romans 8:38,39) 

May your promises carry me until the time when I can again feel your loving presence. 

Amen

Using the dynamics of this prayer

Here are some things to meditate on as you pray each line of this prayer.

Be with me in my grief

Although this sentence seems like a simple prayer, it is the most powerful sentence you can pray during grief.  Grief is about the tragic absence.  Believing that God is present with you in your most agonizing moments is the something that will help you keep putting one foot in front of the other. 

Suicide grief is what experts call complicated grief.  You go through all of the usual intense emotions of loss.  On top of that, you might be dealing with unanswered questions, anger, regret, guilt or a crisis of faith.   

Since a suicide death is unexpected, it is often quite shocking.  You don’t have the chance to say goodbye or say the things that were left unsaid. 

On top of all of this, suicide grief can be a very lonely grief because other people feel inadequate in handling things.  They don’t know what to say or what to do and may end up not reaching out to you or mentioning your loved one. 

Grief is one of the worst things you can experience.  You will go through different stages as you journey toward accepting the loss, learning to go on with your life despite the loss, and finding your purpose in life despite suicide grief. 

The Bible tells us that Jesus was “A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53:3)   His heart breaks when your heart breaks.  The Bible promises that he is always with you, even when you feel completely alone.  “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:38,39

Begin to look for and hold onto small signs of God’s presence day by day.  Examples include hearing a song playing that gives comfort, receiving a phone call at your moment of greatest loneliness, finding a small item that seems a personal sign, or glimpsing a moment of beauty in nature.

God will be with you.  Even on your darkest day. 

Help me handle my questions and regrets

There are many unanswered questions following a suicide death.  Could it have been prevented?  Were the signs missed?  Why didn’t they tell us they were in so much pain?  What could I have done?  And sometimes we become angry at God for not intervening.  These can lead to anger, guilt, anxiety and depression. 

Jesus was asked “Why did you let this happen?” when a dear friend name Martha blamed Jesus for not preventing her brother’s death.  (John 11: 21)   Later in the story when Jesus was at the tomb with the mourners, the Bible says, “Jesus wept.”  (John 11:35)

Such questions are common, and you’re not alone.  Acknowledge your questions and tell God about them so He can help you deal with them. 

The Bible says, “In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, for You will answer me.  Psalm. 86:7

God will answer you.  But the kinds of questions you are asking need emotionally real answers.  They can’t be answered simply through logic by saying, “My dear one was in terrible pain, and that’s why they died.”  But then the answer shatters into a thousand fragments.  Why were they in pain?  Didn’t they know I cared about them?  Or didn’t they care about me because they left me in such pain? 

Emotionally real answers take time and patience and love and presence. As soon as you ask God your questions in prayer, he begins leading you through small daily moments. 

As you pray you will discover that the word answer has a number of different meanings.  It can mean a solution or resolution.  It can mean a reply.  Or it can mean a response.  You can learn more about how God sends these in this article Finding an Answer to Every Prayer – Prayer Ideas

Don’t let this tragedy rob me of my good memories

Suicide grief has a way of keeping the spotlight on the tragedy and not on the person we knew and loved.  Their death often overshadows their life.  Their final pain and desperation is not the sum total of who they were.

They were a son or daughter, a friend, a classmate, a brother or sister or a parent or a coworker.  They were fearfully and wonderfully made.  (see Psalms 139:13,14 )  They were unique because they were created by God in his own image and they were precious in his sight.  They are worthy of remembrance and celebration. 

Here is a suicide victim prayer that you can use in your own prayer times or can be used at a memorial service.  Suicide Victim Prayer – Prayer Ideas

Guide me to someone I can talk to about my feelings

You have been through a terrible trauma.  Talking about it is the best way to deal with it.  God can guide you to people who are good listeners.  People who are caring, kind and wise.   

Stay in touch with Christian friends.  Read the Bible.  Listen to inspirational music.  Go to support groups.  Talk to a professional counselor.  Find a prayer partner.  Request prayer.  Visit your pastor.  Ask about one-on-one support such as Stephen Ministry where a volunteer is matched with you to listen and assist you on your recovery.    

Show me how to put my hope in you and stand on your promises

To stand on God’s promises, you simply need to know them.  The Bible is your source. 

For specific Bible topics such as grief, pain or healing you can use a Bible app or type in Bible and then a topic in your computer search box. 

Here’s an article to help you on How to Pray Scriptures – Prayer Ideas  

May your promises carry me until the time when I can again feel your loving presence

Although you are going through dark and painful times, you will be able to stabilize.  There will be a new normal in your life where you can again feel positive and hopeful.  The writer of the book of Psalms described it this way: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”  Ps. 42:5

Other helpful articles

 How to Request and Receive Confidential Prayer – Prayer Ideas

How to Pray Using Breath Prayers or Sentence Prayers – Prayer Ideas

Losing Hope Prayer: Restoring Lost Hope through Personal Prayer – Prayer Ideas

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