31 Ways to Pray for a Grieving Friend

When we can’t fix the pain for a friend in fresh grief, we can pray. Only eternity will reveal the incredible impact when we pray for a grieving friend.

Prayer changes things. Prayer changes US. Praying for a friend isn’t the least we can do; it’s the best we can do.

When I found myself suddenly navigating loss I didn’t see coming, I could tell people were praying for us. I could feel their prayer—which is hard to describe but stunning to experience.

I knew friends were lifting us in prayer because, as brutal as grief was and though I was overwhelmed in every way, I surprisingly slept well each night. I had words in conversations with my children that felt like a download straight from the Holy Spirit meeting us in that moment.

When people asked how they could help, I had a specific request ready to give them. I would ask them to pray for a specific child, a certain need, a big decision I was facing or fear I was carrying. As I walked through new, hard steps in my grief, I took comfort knowing that trusted friends were carrying specific burdens in prayer.

How can you pray for your grieving friend?

First, be a noticer.

Listen to her heart as she shares and watch for God to alert you to any special needs or struggles. When God points those out to you, cover them in prayer. You can tell her you’re praying or simply lift her up on your own.

Next, be a long-haul pray-er.

While lots of people lean in to help immediately after a loss, many of those fall away after a few weeks or months—not because they don’t care but because life is busy. Grief takes time, often much longer than we expect. Your grieving friend will need prayer throughout her grief journey.

Third, pray for your friend on the milestone days.

Birthdays, anniversaries, dates of diagnosis and the day her loved one went to heaven will be especially tender. Note those in your calendar and pray for her on those days.

Finally, use this list of 31 prayers to as a prayer guide.

Scripture says “a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17, ESV) We can love our friends in their grief as we continually lift them in prayer. Pray one of these each day or choose to pray one throughout the week.

31 Ways to Pray for Your Grieving Friend

1. Pray she leans into God’s strong comfort.

2 Pray she draws on God’s strength in her weakness for each hard step ahead.

3. Pray for wisdom as she makes hard decisions.

4. Pray she’ll recognize where the enemy is trying to get a foothold in her pain.

5. Pray she’ll take every lie captive to the truth.

6. Pray she’ll let go of regret and trust God’s timing and ways.

7. Pray she casts every anxiety on the Lord.

8. Pray she will forgive where needed.

9. Pray she’ll take every hard question to God.

10. Pray she’ll see God’s goodness and thank him.

11. Pray she draws near to God and not away.

12. Pray God’s Word becomes her delight.

13. Pray for her as she sorts through memories and treasures left behind.

14. Pray for peace amid the massive changes right now.

15, Pray she finds God her sufficiency in all things.

16. Pray she’ll hear clearly from God.

17. Pray she’ll trust God when she doesn’t understand.

18. Pray she’ll walk deeply in God’s grace over each fresh wave of pain.

19. Pray she knows God’s infinite, boundless love.

20. Pray she knows God is for her.

21. Pray for pockets of joy.

22. Pray she’ll cling to hope and not give in to despair.

23. Pray for her loneliness.

24. Pray for her prayers and lament to robust, honest, and continual.

25. Pray she goes to God for comfort rather than any thing or substance.

26. Pray she sleeps well at night and wakes rested.

27. Pray each morning she re-aligns her heart to God’s.

28. Pray for her financial needs.

29. Pray that she’s able to eat well and beneficially.

30. Pray she won’t rush or stuff or mask grief.

31. Pray she’ll release control, tenderly surrender the life she thought she’d have and wholly trust God for her future.