When Our Child Has Died

God of all compassion, Our child has died, and our hearts are broken. The future we had begun to imagine has been torn away. There are empty arms, unanswered questions, and a grief deeper than words. Receive our tears as prayer when we cannot speak. Stay near when the silence feels unbearable and when other people do not understand the depth of this loss. Protect us from believing that our grief is excessive, our child insignificant, or our sorrow a failure of faith. Comfort the mother in both body and spirit. Comfort the father, whose grief may be expressed differently but is no less real. Hold siblings, grandparents, and all who loved this child. Give us patience with one another and keep sorrow from dividing us. Help us remember and honor this child without fear. Give us permission to lament, time to heal, and trustworthy companions for the road ahead. When we are ready, let hope return gently—not as a denial of our loss, but as evidence that death does not have the final word. Lord Jesus, You wept beside a grave. We ask You to sit with us here and carry what we cannot bear alone. Amen.