Suicide Victim Prayer
This Suicide Victim Prayer can be used as a funeral prayer for a suicide victim or as a prayer used by families and friends to support each other following the suicide of a loved one. May God’s comforting presence be upon all those who mourn the tragic death of a dear one.
Suicide Victim Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come to you today mourning the sudden and tragic death of our dear one who suffered such unbearable mental and physical pain.
We cannot imagine the intensity of their suffering or the dark depths of their loneliness and despair that prevented them from reaching out to You or to us for help.
We cling to the promise You have made in Psalm 34:18 where You say, “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those crushed in spirit.” (NIV)
From this Your Word we believe that You, in Your great and tender mercy, were near to our dear one at the hour of their death and that Your mysterious saving power was at work in their final moments here on earth.
We cling to the hope that our dear one is now surrounded by Your healing, loving presence. We claim Revelation 21:4 for our dear one and for ourselves, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (NIV)
Dear Father, we lay before you the burning questions weighing heavily on our hearts today. We offer these questions up to You as part of our continuing yet wounded love for our dear one.
We wonder if we could we have done something to intervene before it was too late. We are second guessing whether there were signs we overlooked or didn’t know how to read.
We are examining our thoughts and actions, questioning whether we expressed our love and support often enough or adequately enough.
We place ourselves, our questions, our guilt and our regrets at the foot of the cross, covering them with your strong promises in Isaiah where it says of Jesus, “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows…but he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone stray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53: 4,5,6 NIV)
We pray that the beauty and gift of our dear one’s life will not be negated or overshadowed by their tragic death or final pain.
Help us to celebrate the memory of our dear one and to be thankful for their life among us. Often bring to our minds their unique personality, their accomplishments, their dreams and the ordinary blessings of time spent together. Here are some very special memories of my dear one that I will always treasure in my heart ….
Finally, we pray desperately for ourselves that You will teach us how to go on living. Show us how to bear the daily pain of our grief and sorrow.
Give us the courage to reach out for help, to share our story, to admit our needs and to pray when all we see is darkness and discouragement.
Guide us, help us, hold us. Grant strength daily and hourly. Carry us in Your arms one day at a time until we are again surrounded by the light of life.
We now say farewell and commend our dear one to Your loving arms. In the name of Jesus, our Savior, Amen.
About this suicide victim prayer
When someone we know and love dies by suicide it is a shock that shakes us to the core. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the US today, so sadly, everyone will be touched by the grief of suicide at some point in their lives.
Even though suicide is one of the leading causes of death, it’s hard to know what to pray so we’ve created this prayer suitable for funerals. Often families don’t even know how to go about planning such a funeral. And friends don’t know what to say to offer a word of comfort. Remember, in this case as in all cases of grief, being present and available to support the grief stricken person is better than any words you might try to say.
Fortunately these days there is a greater understanding of mental health issues and often a healthy dialogue goes on in schools and communities following suicides.
If you are grieving the death by suicide of someone you love, honor them by reaching out for help for yourself as you journey through the grief process. Contact a trained counselor or therapist, clergy person or chaplain to begin your healing journey.
Other helpful prayers
Copyright Karen Barber 2012. All rights reserved.
