Day 1 of 7
Psalm 77:1-10
1 I pray to you, Lord God,
and I beg you to listen. 2 In days filled with trouble,
I search for you.
And at night I tirelessly
lift my hands in prayer,
refusing comfort. 3 When I think of you,
I feel restless and weak. 4 Because of you, Lord God,
I can't sleep.
I am restless
and can't even talk. 5 I think of times gone by,
of those years long ago. 6 Each night my mind
is flooded with questions: 7 “Have you rejected me for ever?
Won't you be kind again? 8 Is this the end of your love
and your promises? 9 Have you forgotten
how to have pity?
Do you refuse to show mercy
because of your anger?” 10 Then I said, “God Most High,
what hurts me most
is that you no longer help us
with your mighty arm.”
One of the first reactions to the unwelcome news that a loved one has died is often shock and disbelief. Denying the reality is a normal response.
God, whose own beloved son died on a cross, understands what you are feeling. Lean on God’s ever present love.
On difficult days, others around us seek to bring comfort, and to assure us of God’s goodness, but we find it hard to believe and we sometimes refuse their kindness.
REFLECT
Are you still denying your loss? What are you doing to work through this?
RESPOND
If somebody has attempted to show you kindness and you didn't let them in, follow up with them and try to talk about what you need.
PRAYER
God, in this time of mourning, help me be open to the comfort that you offer. Amen.
TO KNOW MORE
Psalm 38:9-11
9 You, Lord, know every one
of my deepest desires,
and my noisy groans
are no secret to you. 10 My heart is beating fast.
I feel weak all over,
and my eyes are red. 11 Because of my sickness,
no friends or neighbours
will come near me.
Psalm 38:21-22
21 You are the LORD God!
Stay nearby
and don't desert me. 22 You are the one who saves me.
Please hurry and help.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
1 Everything on earth
has its own time
and its own season. 2 There is a time
for birth and death,
planting and reaping, 3 for killing and healing,
destroying and building, 4 for crying and laughing,
weeping and dancing,
Psalm 90:1-10
1 Our Lord, in all generations
you have been our home. 2 You have always been God—
long before the birth
of the mountains,
even before you created
the earth and the world. 3 At your command we die
and turn back to dust, 4 but a thousand years
mean nothing to you!
They are merely a day gone by
or a few hours in the night. 5 You bring our lives to an end
just like a dream.
We are merely tender grass 6 that sprouts and grows
in the morning,
but dries up by evening. 7 Your furious anger frightens
and destroys us, 8 and you know-all our sins,
even those we do in secret. 9 Your anger is a burden
each day we live,
then life ends like a sigh. 10 We can expect seventy years,
or perhaps eighty,
if we are healthy,
but even our best years
bring trouble and sorrow.
Suddenly our time is up,
and we disappear.
Psalm 143:7-8
7 Please hurry, LORD,
and answer my prayer.
I feel hopeless.
Don't turn away
and leave me here to die. 8 Each morning let me learn
more about your love
because I trust you.
I come to you in prayer,
asking for your guidance.
Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1995 American Bible Society. British usage edition. Anglicisations © 1997 British and Foreign Bible Society