Pastor Todd’s Prayer opening AFSP International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day in Carmel:
God of mercy,
God who sees every hidden tear and hears every unspoken ache…
As we gather in this sacred moment on International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, we come to You holding stories that are heavy, memories that still tremble, and questions that have never quite found words.
We stand here carrying the weight of loved ones whose lives ended in a way our hearts were never prepared for.
And today, Lord, before we say anything else, we honor them.
We honor their names, their laughter, their humanity, their battles, and their brilliance.
And we honor every person in this room who has survived the unimaginable.
We pray you hold each heart’s grief. We pray you hold each of those who could not be here or could not overcome a heavy barrier or chain to be here. One that grips their hearts, minds and body.
Lord, please pour out your love and comfort for them and us right in this moment. Hold, lift, and guard each of us—no matter where—from the lies that seek to burden and chain healing with guilt, shame or regret.
You see each one of us. You know each one of us. You hold each one of us.
God, we ask for what feels almost impossible on days like this:
We ask for comfort that endures,
for healing that doesn’t rush or shame,
for moments of relief in the middle of pain that comes in waves.
We ask You to steady the hearts that woke up today with anniversaries on their minds, or with memories that still pierce unexpectedly.
Wrap Your arms around those who feel lonely in their grief, those who carry guilt that doesn’t belong to them, and those who still struggle with the question, “Why?”
Lord, You are gentle with our “why.”
Teach us to be gentle with ourselves, too.
We pray for a community that holds one another up—that listens without judgment, that surrounds without smothering, that allows every form of grief to find a home here.
Let this room be a place where no one has to pretend to be okay, and no one has to carry their story alone.
And God… we also ask for light. Not the kind that denies the dark, but the kind that gently rises within it. The kind that reminds us that love is stronger than stigma, stronger than shame, and stronger than the silence that often surrounds suicide loss.
May the light of love—Your love—shine bright enough today to break through the dark cloak of stigma, to speak dignity over every life represented, and to whisper hope back into places that feel numb or forgotten.
God, for each survivor here, give strength for this moment, grace for this breath, and hope that is patient enough to grow at their pace.
And for those we lost—hold them close. Let their memories be honored with tenderness and truth. And carry us, Lord, as we remember, as we grieve, and as we reach for healing one breath at a time.
Lord, Be near.
Lord, Be gentle.
Lord, Be our refuge and our hope.
We ask all of this in the name of the God who weeps with us and walks with us.
Amen.
Paster Todd Matthews, First Baptist Church of Brewster
