Prayers for Widows: Finding Genuine Peace in God’s Healing Love

Posted on Apr 23, 2024 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Gayle Roper

I’ve just returned from our ninth annual Widow’s Journey Weekend where we were able to give each widow in attendance a copy of my new title Prayers for a Widow’s Journey thanks to the generosity of Harvest House Publishers.

After she’d had time to read some of the prayers, one of the women came to me. “Are these laments?” she asked.

What an interesting question. I hadn’t thought of the prayers in that context before, but I could see where she was coming from. “I feel like an alien in a strange land” or “I feel like an amputee” certainly has the sound of a lament. And there is much to lament in becoming a widow.

But Prayers is also about everyday things. The hot water heater is leaking. My Boston fern is dying. I’m concerned about my finances. It acknowledges that now that I’m alone and have to handle all the things we shared responsibility for, life can be scary. It reminds us that when we talk to the Lord about how overwhelming life can be, we’re not so alone.

So I see Prayers as a book about hope. It’s hope in the darkness, yes, but it’s hope in Christ. Always, always, whether it’s a cry about everyday concerns or a heart lament, each prayer returns the reader to the Lord. Sometimes it’s a cry for help. Give me strength, Lord. Give me grace. Let me feel Your presence. Sometimes it’s a reminder of all He is. “You are a God of grace and grandeur. Because of You I’m held secure.”

Prayers for the Widow’s Journey follows the example of David in the Psalms where he cries out in his pain and distress but always returns to his trust in God in spite of his situation. My prayer of Prayers is that even as it expresses the pain and confusion a widow feels, it would send her to Jesus, our Balm in Gilead, the Keeper of our hearts.