I’ve been thinking a lot about grief throughout this season. We are all slowly moving through the grieving process — a loss of what we once knew — moving from denial toward acceptance. Whether your grief is very specific today or a general grief of what life should be, I hope today’s liturgy is a helpful way to connect with Jesus.

You are a God who grieves with us.
You, our mighty God, Creator of all good things, You hold space for our sadness and longing.
You understand more than anyone that “this is not how it was meant to be,”
because you created it all.
You spoke the earth into existence, with the intent of peace, beauty, community, love, and health.

You grieve with us.

Lord, help us give ourselves permission to grieve, to lament all the things that are not the way they should be.
May our grief turn our hearts towards You, our loving Father.

Turn our sadness into trust.
Mold our weeping into testimony.

In the midst of our heartache, make Your presence to us more real and tangible than ever before.
Protect our hearts from bitterness toward You, from assuming there is a kind of life we deserve or have somehow earned.
Remind us that You are in all things, above all things, before all things.

In our desperation, may we not turn away from You in disappointment but stay fixed on You in absolute trust.
In our grief, may we come to know You more personally and intimately.

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:17-18