God of heaven and earth,
you know the sound a sparrow makes
when it falls to the ground.
Hear now our voices joined in quiet outrage.
We are thunderstruck, and we cannot find words.
Send your Spirit to speak for us, O God,
to plead our case before you and release the anguish of our hearts.

God of all consolation,
we cry for peace, and there is none in our hearts.
Send your river of life flowing through us
to cleanse the wounds of our sorrow
and still the turmoil of our minds.

We cry against the flagrant waste of lives,
promises that will not be kept,
friendships lost, the love of family left ungratified.
Our cries protest the deaths
that rob the living and the dead of precious time
and plunge us into depths of grief and pain.
Because we cannot understand
show us your peace that surpasses understanding.

God of life,
your anger sears the mountains
and strikes terror in those who spurn your will:
Open our eyes to your presence and let us see
that death is always counter to your word.
Show us your streams that rush with living water,
your mindful watch in every struggle against death.
Give us grace to know your gift of Jesus,
our companion through death’s night,
and our guide to your new day’s glory.
Fill us with your Spirit’s breath of life
and lift us to you in our need
that we may know your sorrow, deep as our own,
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Excerpt from Standing in the Circle of Grief by Blair Gilmer Meeks. Used with permission of Abingdon Press.