David wrote a lament for Saul and Jonathan after they died in battle, ordering that it be taught to the people of Judah. It wasn’t a polished tribute avoiding hard truths. It named their courage plainly, mourned honestly, and gave the grief of an entire nation words to hold onto: “How the mighty have fallen.”
These thirty verses are for the person preparing to speak at a funeral, needing the right words to honor a life honestly, without pretending the grief isn’t real.
Pray these before you write or deliver a eulogy, and let David’s example, honest grief paired with genuine honor, guide the words you choose.
Prayer for Eulogy
1. 2 Samuel 1:19, 27 (NIV)
“A gazelle lies slain on your heights, Israel. How the mighty have fallen!… How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!”
Prayer: Give me words as honest and fitting as David’s lament.
Let me honor this life plainly, not with empty phrases.
Help me speak grief and honor together, the way David did.
2. Psalm 116:15 (NIV)
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”
Prayer: Let me communicate this truth to everyone listening today.
Remind those grieving that this death was not overlooked by you.
Give my words the weight this precious loss deserves.
3. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NIV)
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die.”
Prayer: Let me speak with the wisdom this verse offers, not avoiding the reality of death.
Give context to this loss without minimizing the grief attached to it.
Help me find the right tone for this particular time.
4. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Prayer: Let these words fit the life I’m honoring today.
Give me the right language to describe how this person finished well.
Speak confidence into how their story is remembered.
5. Psalm 90:12 (NIV)
“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Prayer: Let this eulogy teach the listeners something true about their own days.
Give me wisdom for what to include and what to leave unsaid.
Turn this moment into reflection, not just remembrance.
6. Philippians 1:21 (NIV)
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”
Prayer: Let me speak this truth if it genuinely fits this person’s story.
Comfort the mourners with confidence about where this person is now.
Give me the right words to hold both loss and hope together.
7. Psalm 116:9 (NIV)
“That I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
Prayer: Let me speak about how this person walked before you.
Give specific, honest details that honor how they actually lived.
Help their story encourage the living, not just mourn the dead.
8. Proverbs 22:1 (NIV)
“A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
Prayer: Let me highlight the good name this person leaves behind.
Give me the right examples that show who they truly were.
Honor their legacy accurately, not just generously.
9. Psalm 37:37 (NIV)
“Consider the blameless, observe the upright; a future awaits those who seek peace.”
Prayer: Let me consider this life honestly and speak what I observe.
Give me clarity about what future this person’s legacy points toward.
Help their example encourage those still seeking peace.
10. John 11:25-26 (NIV)
“Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.'”
Prayer: Let this truth anchor whatever I say today.
Give hope to everyone listening, not just information about a life ended.
Root this eulogy in resurrection, not just memory.
11. Psalm 145:4 (NIV)
“One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.”
Prayer: Let this eulogy commend something true to the next generation.
Tell of the good this person did, faithfully and specifically.
Give the listeners something worth carrying forward.
12. 1 Thessalonians 4:13 (NIV)
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”
Prayer: Let my words offer real hope, not just comfort.
Give the mourners a different kind of grief than despair alone.
Anchor this eulogy in something solid, not sentiment alone.
13. Psalm 71:18 (NIV)
“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, Lord, till I declare your power to the next generation.”
Prayer: Let this eulogy declare something true about your work in this person’s life.
Give me the right stories that show your faithfulness through their years.
Honor the whole arc of their story, not just the ending.
14. Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NIV)
“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.”
Prayer: Let me speak to the good name this person built over their lifetime.
Give perspective to those grieving about what actually lasts.
Help this eulogy honor a completed story, not an interrupted one.
15. Psalm 23:6 (NIV)
“Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Prayer: Let this promise be true of the life I’m remembering today.
Give words that reflect goodness and love following them throughout.
Comfort the mourners with where this person dwells now.
16. Romans 14:8 (NIV)
“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”
Prayer: Let this truth shape how I frame this person’s death.
Remind everyone listening that this person belonged to you, in life and death.
Give comfort rooted in belonging, not loss alone.
17. Psalm 116:15 (NIV)
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”
Prayer: Let me communicate that this loss was not small in your eyes.
Give words that honor the faithfulness this person showed.
Help the listeners feel the weight and the comfort together.
18. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (NIV)
“For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven.”
Prayer: Let this image bring comfort as I speak today.
Give the mourners confidence about what’s ahead for this person.
Help this eulogy point beyond the immediate loss.
19. Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Prayer: Let my words acknowledge the brokenness in the room today.
Draw close to everyone grieving as I speak.
Give comfort that doesn’t rush past real sorrow.
20. Proverbs 31:31 (NIV)
“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gates.”
Prayer: Let me honor this person’s actual works and effort.
Give specific praise, not vague sentiment.
Help their contributions be remembered accurately and well.
21. Psalm 90:14 (NIV)
“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.”
Prayer: Let this eulogy leave room for both grief and eventual gladness.
Give the mourners hope for mornings still ahead.
Balance sorrow with the promise of your unfailing love.
22. Matthew 25:21 (NIV)
“'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.'”
Prayer: Let this be a true reflection of how this life ended, if it fits.
Give me confidence to speak this over someone who lived faithfully.
Honor their faithfulness in the specific, ordinary ways it showed up.
23. Psalm 116:7 (NIV)
“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.”
Prayer: Let me speak comfort over this rest, not just loss.
Remind the mourners of your goodness even in this moment.
Give words that invite rest, not just remembrance.
24. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)
“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Prayer: Let this eulogy end in genuine thanksgiving, not just sorrow.
Give victory language where it’s appropriate and true.
Help the listeners leave with hope, not only grief.
25. Psalm 39:4-5 (NIV)
“Show me, Lord, my life's end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”
Prayer: Let this eulogy remind the living how fleeting life actually is.
Give perspective that leads to gratitude, not despair.
Help this moment shape how people live going forward.
26. Hebrews 11:4 (NIV)
“And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.”
Prayer: Let this person’s faith still speak through the words I offer today.
Give me the ability to carry their voice forward accurately.
Honor what they believed, not just what they accomplished.
27. Psalm 116:12 (NIV)
“What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?”
Prayer: Let this eulogy be a kind of gratitude offered on this person’s behalf.
Give me language that reflects thankfulness for their life.
Turn this moment into worship, not just remembrance.
28. Isaiah 25:8 (NIV)
“He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces.”
Prayer: Let this promise offer real comfort as I close these words.
Remind everyone listening that death does not have the final say.
Give hope that reaches beyond this specific, painful day.
29. Psalm 121:8 (NIV)
“The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Prayer: Let this truth cover this person’s life, from beginning to end.
Comfort those grieving with the thought that nothing was unattended.
Give confidence about what continues even after this eulogy ends.
30. Revelation 21:4 (NIV)
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
Prayer: Let this be the note I end on, hope for what’s still ahead.
Give the mourners something to hold onto beyond today’s grief.
Close these words with the confidence this promise offers.
Conclusion
David’s lament didn’t try to smooth over the loss of Saul and Jonathan. It named their courage honestly and let grief be loud where grief was warranted, and that honesty is part of why it’s remembered as one of the most moving pieces of writing in all of Scripture.
If you’re writing this eulogy for a parent specifically, the prayers for loss of father or prayers for loss of mother may offer language closer to your own grief.
For the broader funeral service beyond just the eulogy, the opening prayer for a funeral service and the closing prayer for memorial service can bookend the day.