A Prayer for the One Who Feels Alone

Dear Grieving Mama,

Do you feel alone? I felt an aloneness that permeated to the core of my bones when my son was stillborn. My husband had to go home to be with our daughters and the nurses moved me to the end of the hall so I wouldn’t hear the other babies crying for their moms when it was time to nurse. Instead of snuggling a newborn baby, I lay alone in a bed with grief deeper than I thought possible.

As the moments turned into hours and the hours into days, the fog of grief lifted and I remembered I was never alone. My Lord Jesus was always with me. He wrapped me in His loving embrace as I slept that first night. He restored my joy in the midst of my grief. He spoke to me in big and small ways.

The first day after the funeral when I stood at my sink and washed dishes, the daily Bible verse on my flip calendar said, “ The Lord is near the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). That verse was just what I needed at that moment. The moment my son died, I discovered what a broken heart felt like.

Dear Mama, I know you might feel alone because your baby isn’t here with you, but God promised never to leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:8). In the midst of our grief, the Lord nudges us with reminders of His love and peace.

On the days when I felt like I couldn’t breathe, the Lord would send someone to encourage me, a song would play, or a Bible verse would speak to me. Has He done that for you?

He sees you in your grief and pain, and He is the lifter of your head (Psalm 3:3). I know it may not feel possible to lift your head off of your pillow some days, but you don’t have to. When we trust the Lord to strengthen us, He lifts our head.

Do you feel alone because your friends or family don’t understand? I did. I didn’t have any friends or family members who had lost a baby. I didn’t have a support group or a friend who could say, “I know how you feel.” And then I found Hope Mommies, where people really understood my feelings and fears and they encouraged me to look to the promises of God.

I often felt alone in my marriage because my husband grieved differently than me. Do you ever feel that way? It’s okay to grieve differently. Once I understood that, I didn’t feel so alone.

Do you have a tendency to withdraw? I did too. But after awhile I realized I needed people who could love me and encourage me. People may not do it “right” every time, but they tried to. I had to get back into church and let my community remind me of God’s goodness.

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20

Mama, you are not alone. God is always near. I love Psalm 145:18 in the Message version– “God’s there, listening for all who pray, for all who pray and mean it.”

I don’t know about you, but when I prayed and told the Lord I needed Him, I meant it. And He answered my loneliness with Bible verses, friends, family, and my church community to encourage me.

If you feel alone, take heart. Not only is God there for you but your Hope Mommies community is too. You are never alone.

Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope—with humor. She has three daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. Shelly lives in Texas with her husband, Jack, of 29 years and their two dogs.

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