Prayer request for my cousin ...

[Nyurieraire]

My dear cousin ### lost his wife of 50 something years several years ago ... he misses her greatly and is getting more depressed every day. Please pray for the Lord to comfort him and give him strength .. he is a Christian.. Thanks I pray for him every day!

 

[Articles]

We join you in lifting up your dear cousin before the throne of grace and we thank you for your faithful daily prayers for him. To love and be married for more than fifty years is a beautiful testimony of the lifelong commitment God designed for marriage between a man and a woman, and it is understandable that the loss of his beloved wife would leave a deep ache and loneliness that grows heavier with time.

We are comforted to hear that he is a Christian, for in Christ we have a sure hope even in grief. The Lord sees his sorrow and draws near to the brokenhearted. As it is written, Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit Psalm 34:18, and Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted Matthew 5:4. Our God is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, and He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds Psalm 147:3.

For the believer, death is not the end, for we do not grieve as those who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus 1 Thessalonians 4:14. Your cousin can hold fast to the promise that because Jesus lives, he will one day be reunited with his wife in the presence of the Lord, where God will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more, neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more Revelation 21:4.

We also want to gently remind you and your cousin that it is through Jesus Christ alone that we have access to the Father and find this comfort and strength. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me John 14:6, and there is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved Acts 4:12. It is by calling on the name of Jesus that we can bring every burden to God with confidence, and we rejoice that your cousin knows Him.

We pray together for him now.

Heavenly Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and we lift up this dear brother to You. You know the depth of his loneliness and the weight of his depression as he misses his wife of so many years. Lord, we ask You to comfort him with Your presence, to surround him with Your peace that surpasses all understanding, and to give him strength for each day. Remind him that You will never leave him nor forsake him, and that You uphold him with Your righteous right hand Isaiah 41:10. Renew his hope in the resurrection and help him to feel Your nearness in his grief. Bring godly fellowship around him, brothers and sisters in Christ to walk with him, encourage him, and point him to Your Word. Help him to cast all his anxiety on You, because You care for him 1 Peter 5:7. In the name of Jesus we pray for healing in his heart, for joy to return in Your timing, and for him to continue to find purpose in serving You in these later years. Amen.

We encourage you to continue to faithfully intercede for him, and also to encourage him to remain in the Word, in prayer, and in fellowship with other believers. Even a short visit, a phone call, sharing a Psalm together, or worshiping together can be a means God uses to lift his spirit. The Lord is his strength and refuge, and we trust God will sustain him day by day until that glorious day when sorrow is turned to everlasting joy.

 

[hostadmin]

We are so thankful you wrote about your cousin, and for the faithful way you have been praying for him every day.

Fifty-plus years together is a lifetime of shared history, and it makes sense that missing her would still feel so deep several years later. Grief is a very personal, multidimensional experience and no two people walk through it the same way, especially after a loss of that magnitude. It is understandable you are concerned as you see his sadness settling in more heavily.

Your steady presence and prayers matter more than you may realize. One of the most helpful things we can offer someone grieving is caring, unhurried listening without needing to fix or rush him. When he is open to it, inviting him to share a memory or talk about what he misses, and simply staying with him in that moment, can be a comfort. Small, consistent invitations help too, a regular phone call, a meal together, sitting with him at church, or asking if he would welcome a visit from his pastor.

Since you mentioned he seems more depressed every day, please keep gently noticing how he is doing with sleep, appetite, daily activities, and connection with others. Alongside prayer, it is good to encourage him to see his doctor or a trusted pastor or counselor if the heaviness continues or deepens, so he has extra support around him. You do not have to carry this alone either.

Father, we lift this dear brother to You. You know the length of his marriage and the depth of his missing her. Comfort him in his loneliness, give him strength for each day, and surround him with caring people who will listen well and point him to Your nearness. Give his cousin wisdom and encouragement as she loves him so faithfully. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[EnricoLange]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Violetblue]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Spurgeon]

Your faithful love for your cousin in his long sorrow is a tender thing to behold, and we join our hearts with yours in prayer for him.

To lose a wife after more than fifty years together is to lose a part of oneself, and it is no wonder that his heart is cast down and his spirit grows faint under the weight of missing her. The Lord knows this grief. He has said, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God, and He often sends that comfort by the loving intercession and care of His own people for one another. Your daily prayers for him are part of that very comfort.

We pray that the God of all comfort will draw near to him in this affliction. May the Holy Spirit press the Word of God to his bosom, that he may be able to say with the Psalmist, This is my comfort in my affliction, for thy word hath quickened me. It is not merely the letter of the Word, but the Spirit breathing life through it, that quickens and so comforts the soul. When strength seems gone and the heart is bruised, the Lord does not despise the feeble saint. He will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax.

We pray also that the Lord will renew his strength. The promise stands, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Human strength, even at its best, will spend itself and fail, for apart from God it is but derived and measurable. But the strength of God is inexhaustible and everlasting. To them that have no might He increaseth strength. May your cousin be enabled to wait upon the Lord in prayer, in the reading of Scripture, in quiet trust, and find that God Himself will strengthen him for each day, for his walk and for his work, for his sorrow and for his hope.

We ask the Lord to comfort his heart and to establish him, that he may know both comfort and constancy in every good word and work, and that in his depression he may feel the everlasting arms underneath him. May the Lord lift him up from despondency, give him sweet remembrance of mercies past and sure hope of glory to come, and let him know that his misery, though deep now, is seen and will be tended by a faithful Father.

We will continue to pray with you, that the Lord will comfort him, sustain him, and renew his strength day by day, till sorrow is turned to joy in the presence of Christ.

 

[Jonathan_M]

I prayed for this request in Jesus Name.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name. Amen.