10 Simple Prayers for the Grieving Heart

In fresh grief, my heart was so broken that often I could only utter short prayers. These ten simple prayers for the grieving heart seemed to be on repeat.

These are the prayers said through tears or even when we have no words. And because these short prayers are rooted in Scripture, they are prayers God will always answer.

Long prayers are not more powerful. Our honest prayers matter because of who we’re praying to. When sorrow is heavy or your faith feels fragile, offer one of these short, simple prayers.

Simple Christian prayers for grief

1. Help, Lord.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 (ESV)

I’ve prayed this more times than I can count. I’ll never forget the morning I prayed this before making a difficult business phone call. God’s help was practical as he ordered my thoughts of what to say in that call and the call went better than I could ever have imagined. God is a help in every way we need him. When we cry out to him, he will answer.

2. Please be near.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18 (ESV)

Scripture tells us God is close to those who are grieving, but sometimes we don’t feel his presence. If God feels distant, I’ve found turning down the noise of the world, like social media or the 24-hour news pundits, and getting into God’s Word helps me sense his presence. James 4:8 promises that when we draw near to God, he will draw near to us.

3. Calm my heart.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)

When anxiety begins to take hold, this is a promise we can put into practice. This verse tells us to pray or ask with thanksgiving. God isn’t asking us to thank him for the pain, but to thank him in the pain. Because there is always, always something we can thank God for. As we pray with gratitude, God’s promised peace will blanket our heart and mind in peace.

4. Show me what to do.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5 (ESV)

When I became a widow and single mom to seven children, I no longer had my husband to help with decisions. I could have phoned a friend or looked to a counselor, but I learned to go to God first. I’ve found that when I ask God for wisdom and then tune my heart to receive it, God has given it generously.

5. Heal my pain.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (ESV)

It’s not time that heals all wounds, but God who over time who heals our wounds. He’s a God of all comfort who comforts us in every affliction. He sustains us when the pain feels unbearable. And he hears every lament as we process the hard emotions and questions of grief. As God heals our broken heart, the loss becomes softer and less raw. But our full healing will not come until heaven when God wipes away every tear and brings us to a place with no more mourning or sorrow or death.

6. Fight for me.

 “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Exodus 14:14

This verse was given to Israel in a specific situation, but God has not changed. He is still God who fights for us. First John reminds us that greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world. Romans 8 declares that because God is for us, no one can stand against us. And Ephesians 6 describes the spiritual armor we have to overcome every scheme of the enemy. God is greater than anything or anyone that comes against us and through him, we fight from victory.

7. Give me your peace.

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3 (ESV)

Corrie ten Boom said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest.” We fix our eyes on God each time we spend time in his Word, praise him through song, sit under Biblical teaching, and go to him in prayer. Fixing our mind on God doesn’t erase our very real ache, but reminds us of God’s faithful character as he walks with us in it.

8. Help me rest.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (ESV)

Grief fatigue is real. It taxes us mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I remember waking up tired before my day even started. Grief exhaustion isn’t solved simply with more sleep. Jesus invites us to come to him, unburden our weary heart, and find full rest. While good sleep is crucial, we need to address all seven kinds of rest we need in grief.

9. Help my unbelief.

“Immediately the father of the child cried outand said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” Mark 9:24 (ESV)

Mark 9 tells of a father who brought his mute, demon-possessed son to Jesus, imploring that if Jesus could help, then to please have compassion and heal him. Jesus immediately responded that if he could was unquestionable because all things are possible for the one who believes. “I believe!” the father answered and then, “Help my unbelief.” What an honest prayer that God will answer.

10. Restore me.

“Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Psalm 126:5-6 (ESV)

This isn’t a prayer for wealth, but a prayer for God to lead Israel out of captivity and back to the spiritual relationship where God alone was worshipped bringing wholeness and joy. The brokenness of loss reveals idols we’ve set up. As long as we’re broken open, we can chisel out false idols and let God restore the intimacy he’s intended all along. When we look to God alone, God will bring us to a place of wholeness and joy.