A Path Forward
with God
Copyright © 2022 by Linda Crowhurst. All
rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form or by any
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without written permission from the
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quotations in a book review.
LINDA CROWHURST
A Path Forward
When we are hurting, God is with us. When we cry out He feels our pain. It
can be a time of bewilderment and great emotional pain.
It is important to remember that there is no one right way to deal with grief
and bereavement. Each person has their own coping mechanisms and
ways of addressing, expressing and dealing with grief. It takes time to
experience the emotional rollercoaster that you have been forced onto
and it will equally take time to adjust your life in order to develop new
patterns and rhythms.
The loss remains present and the pain of loss is very real. There are no
easy ways through it. The most important thing, though not necessarily the
easiest thing, is to try to look after yourself as best you can and accept the
support and love of others if and when offered, at the right time for you.
You may temporarily feel a loss of self and a disorientation of purpose and
direction. Prayer and communion with others can help to bring comfort
and perhaps, healing, to the hurt of loss. God can hold and guide you and
provide much needed solace to the broken-hearted.
As we are grieving, we are in great need of
Spiritual Protection, for we do not always
see things clearly in this state. We may
also need practical support and
encouragement to nurture and nourish
ourselves, as we can get lost in the power
of strong emotions.
Formal, well known prayers, such as the
Our Father, at such times, can be a great
help and strength, as can reading
favourite Bible verses or spiritual writings
from known and loved spiritual authors or
new ones who offer a different
perspective or tone. You may feel driven
to write your own poetry, paint pictures or
write your own prayers to help sustain
you and shield you.Putting on the Armour
of God ( Ephesians 6: 10-18 ) is also a
Spiritual Protection
powerful, affirming way of gaining
spiritual protection.
Sometimes we can feel assaulted
by negative energy, fear, doubt,
guilt, shame. This may be especially
so, as we begin our grief work and
face our loss and feel our pain
most profoundly. We may also
want to pray for our loved ones, as
well as ourselves, so that they can
find profound peace and healing,
so that they have safe passage,
held by the Light of Christ and the
Love of the Father, guided by the
Holy Spirit, who is holding and
lifting them forever into the Heart
of Love.
All need protection from fear and
distress that can bind away from
love.
Help us find healing,
As we deal with our losses.
Help us find the healing you so freely give.
Help us to reach out and find
Your loving Presence always near.
May we feel the protection
Of your compassionate heart,
Keeping us safe against any storm.
Free us from the deepest pain
That binds us away from feeling anything else.
Help us to see the truth
And always move towards it,
Shielded totally by Your Love.
Amen
We banish all fear as we ask for the
Blessings the Spirit brings, to uplift and
transform our lives this day and keep us
safe from harm.
Amen
Lord, we ask for your absolute protection now
May we feel it now as we go through the day.
Keep us safe.
Keep our minds in truth.
Keep our hearts in goodness.
Keep our bodies in health.
Keep our spirits shining.
May we always feel safe
Knowing that you are here
And will always protect us
Through the Power of Your Love.
Amen
Spiritual Protection
Grief brings desolation and despair at times. It may feel endless and
draining. Some days may feel impossibly hard. At these times, we need to
feel God’s solace and comfort, His Hope, to restore us.
At this time, you may not be as aware as normal, therefore you need to
take special care of yourself. This is not necessarily a reliable time to make
big decisions. You need to pay extra attention when performing even basic
tasks. Grief can confuse and befuddle us so that we do not feel quite ‘with
it.’ It may elicit strong emotional responses. Anger may surface and be
redirected outwards or inwards.
It can help if you have the support of others, for grieving takes time and
adjustment, can feel slow and all consuming. Some may turn to
bereavement counsellors to deal with the complexity of emotion that may
arise, others to friends or support groups, their local community, a prayer
group or directly to God.
Desolation
Silence
first
seems
empty
then
the sweet
voice of God
whispering
completeness,
beauty
and stillness,
can be heard
Desperation,
Desolation,
Isolation,
Emptiness,
leads us
on a
profound
journey,
always
to seek.
There must be
more
Desolation
than
just
never-ending
torment
for
a soul
to survive.
It is only in
the pure
still
silence
that you find
the ever-flowing
awesome
wonder of
the Living God
with you,
always and ever-loving.
Amen
I feel desolate today.
Lord lift me up and bring me comfort.
I feel broken by the suffering.
Lord reach out to touch and mend me.
I have no hope left.
Lord restore me with Your Spirit.
I cannot bear the endless pain.
Lord give me Your strength to carry me.
I am tortured by everything.
Lord heal me now, save me now,
I beseech You,
I am invisible and hurting.
Lord help me feel seen and known.
I am beaten today.
Lord help me keep going.
I feel unloved and unloveable.
Lord fill me with Your Love.
Amen
Desolation
Lord, help me now.
There seems no way forward.
There seems no help in sight.
I don’t know what to do.
Show me a better future.
Show me the best way to go.
Teach me what I need to know.
Help me see the bigger picture here.
Help me know what I need to do.
I need your help and I need it right now.
I need to feel You with me.
I need Your blessing now.
Amen
Desolation
Dear Lord
When there are no words to give comfort
To ourselves or each other,
Bring us fully into awareness
Of the greatness of Your gift of Love to us.
May we understand both the Sacrifice
Your made upon the cross
And the power of Mercy
That flows ever from Your Heart,
Restoring all to life.
Amen.
Desolation
In my desperation, come to my aid, oh Lord
And calm me, like you calmed the waves.
Heal me, for I am faithful,
Just like the people who you healed
When you walked upon the Earth.
Teach me how to pray,
In total confidence to the Father,
As you yourself taught us.
May we always see your face before us
Even in the bleakest moments
And be blessed by your radiant light.
May we turn to you always
And find help.
Amen
Desolation
When we have lost someone, we are very much in need of God, to hold on
to. Even when we have Faith in an afterlife with God, still there is the very
real loss of physical presence in the world, for the person is no longer
physically with you.
At these times we need to feel God’s strength carrying us, His Light guiding
us. Especially when newly bereaved, we may not know what to do or what
to say. We may be distraught, in shock or a deep state of sadness. At these
times, we need Him most of all, to be a pillar of strength and wisdom for us
and with us.
We may seek information, reassurance guidance from others. We may
want to know how to grieve, what to do, what to expect, how to proceed.
We can seek guidance, blessings and words of comfort from the Bible or
other sacred readings.
We can know if a word is of God because it will feel and sound authentic
and true. It will resonate deep within us and it will be a proclamation to the
world as it is spoken.
It will always bring a sense of goodness, light and wonder into being, that
keeps us safe and uplifts our spirits.
This can be a time to accept help and kindness from others who
understand something of what we are going through and can help carry us
through it. Remember Christ is close, loves you and is there for us.
Calling On God For
Support
What can I do
When all is taken from me,
Even hope?
I can wait.
I can trust.
I can remain open
To goodness
And a perfect way forward,
Within the darkness,
Set aside only for me,
That will ignite a tiny flicker of light
In my heart
And set me surely on a new path
forward.
Amen
Calling On God For
Support
Open our hearts Lord to receive You totally.
Open our minds to know you in fullness.
Heal all hurts that we may feel safe again.
Restore our spirits
Remove all loss of faith and trust.
Banish all that harms us Lord.
Help us in our distress,
In the name of Jesus Christ
In the name of God our Father
In the name of the Holy Spirit!
In the name of all the HolyThree,
May it be so!
Amen
Calling On God For
Support
Lord, lead us towards You
That we might find the truth of Your being
With us,
Precious,
Indescribable,
Present.
Lead us into the very Heart of Love
And there fill us with Your deepest peace,
Not of this world,
Which can only be a Grace from God,
Especially in this time of deepest grief.
Amen
Calling On God For
Support
Let us ask to see things with greater perspective.
Let us always seek a higher view, guided by God,
Blessed with the gifts of the Spirit:
Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment, Love.
Amen
Lord, we ask for Your love to grace our lives.
We ask in confidence and faith,
Knowing that it is for this Lord,
That You came into the world.
Flood our lives with Your Holy Light, oh Lord.
May we receive this healing blessing right now.
Amen
Calling On God For
Support
Peace be with you
Peace flow round you
Let Christ’s Peace flow into your heart
And may you feel a Joy of Love
Beyond all words
Radiating out to greet you
Connecting you with All That Is.
May you be at peace then,
Knowing that your loved one is safe
And with God now and forever,
Amen
Calling On God For
Support
To give thanks and praise is a powerful act,
especially when we are filled with grief and
dismay. Yet, praise and thanks can help us.
It can remind us of all the good things to be
remembered about the person we love.
It can also lift our energy to receive a
blessing of love, direct from God. It can help
us see things in a different light.
It can strengthen and comfort us and help
us through the most difficult of moments,
for it reminds us of God’s Love and Living
Presence, within which we are all wrapped
up.
It can restore balance and help see a way
forward, not totally consumed by pain.
We Give Thanks
I give thanks for all that you have been to me.
I give thanks for all that you have shared with
me.
I give thanks for how knowing you has blessed
my life.
I give thanks for our special connection,
I will never forget your kindness
I will never forget your prayerfulness
I will never forget your friendship
Amen
We Give Thanks
Lord, we give thanks for.........
We thank you for their goodness.
We thank you for their kindness.
We thank you for their inspiration.
We thank you for their Love.
We give thanks and praise for their faith in
You.
Help us to know with absolute certainty
That she/he/them is safely with you now,
surrounded by angels,
Reunited and comforted
by all the family and friends
who have gone before
May we find blessings from knowing
her/him/them
May we be comforted in our loss.
May we still feel her/him/them near
And thus be able to carry on,
Feeling her/his light still guiding us
Throughout our lives,
Praying for us all the while.
Amen
We Give Thanks
