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The holiday season is joyous and festive, right? Well, for many people, it’s very hard. The first Thanksgiving after losing a loved one can be incredibly difficult. The first Christmas can bring more pain than joy. Every picture, commercial, Hallmark movie about happy families can dig the knife of grief deeper into a wounded heart. Let’s pray a prayer for those who grieve this holiday season, and ask God to help us be sensitive to those who are hurting.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
Dear God of Comfort, be close to those who are mourning today. Everyone has lost someone, and the pain becomes a little less sharp with every year that passes, but it never fully goes away. When a loss occurs near a big holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving, which is so much about family and friends, it can be even harder.
Your Word says that those who mourn will be comforted, and that they are blessed because of it. But I know they … I … don’t feel blessed. I pray that You will show me Your heart. Show me how to be sensitive to those who might not be rejoicing this Christmas, and how to receive Your kindness. Because You are kind. And You are good. Sometimes, honestly, it’s very hard to see. But help me not to doubt in the darkness what I knew to be true in the light.
Wrap Your comfort like a blanket around those who feel the coldness of loss. Close the mouths of those who would say foolish things in their attempts to be comforting. I know I don’t always know the right thing to say, so remind me to just be with my hurting friend without offering platitudes. Just as Your presence is so important to me in my grief, I know my presence is all someone else might need.
Thank You for Your love and Your kindness. I pray that those who mourn this holiday season will experience that in tangible ways. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Now listen to a sample of this meditation from Abide based on Matthew 5:4.
Keep the spirit of this prayer with you throughout this holiday season and beyond so that you can pray a prayer for those who grieve whenever you are reminded that there are hurting people all around you. Maybe you’re one of them. Let the Abide app help you find comfort and peace in God. We write our daily devotionals, guided meditations, and Bible-based sleep stories specifically to help people experience the peace of God. Use this link for 25% off a premium subscription.
May you be kind and be treated kindly as you journey with God this Christmas season.
Stephanie Reeves is a writer and the senior editor of Abide.
