Words of Comfort
Dear Lord,
I thank you for this day you have given me and for another day of life.
I commit my days to you. Please lead and guide me in all I say and I do.
I ask for your help and guidance to make the best use of my time.
Please grant me your strength and energy in all that lies ahead.
I ask that you would go before me today and every day.
When we face challenges, please help me remember all the things
you have brought me through in the past.
I am grateful that you see and understand all that is going on, especially when I cant.
Please help me trust that you have not brought me this far to fail or abandon me now.
Please help me to be strong in your power and might.
Please help me walk confidently in your truth so that I can have
faith without fear, trust without hesitation, calmness in the face of stress,
and your peace no matter what I face.
Help me walk by faith, be at peace, and be content as I wait on you and put my trust in you.
Please help us focus more on you and what is right and good
instead of on all that is wrong and upsetting.
Please help us change what we can and leave everything else in your hands.
Help us remember that any burdens we face are meant to rest on your shoulders.
I am grateful for your grace, strength, and help that you will see me through all that I face.
I am grateful knowing that all that’s on my mind is in your hands.
I am leaving everything with you now and I thank you for working all things together for my good.
The Universal Message
In Hinduism, when a soul has left its physical body, we chant Ram Naam Satya Hai, translating to Truth is in the name of Lord Rama.
In Judaism, the chant, Baruch Dayan Ha'Emet, translates to Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, the one true Judge.
In Islam, the words Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un is recited, meaning verily we belong to Allah, and truly to Him shall we return.
The Universal message remains the same regardless of your faith, spiritual background, or religion. There is comfort in believing in the Divine’s Truth. The world is transient, and we are all born with the same white shawl. We wear this shawl throughout our lives and collect various Karmas. Some shawls are clean without any markings, while others have collected physical and emotional suffering. In the Lord’s truth, there comes a time when we are asked to remove our shawls and return to the Lord.
Mailee Chaadar Odhke Kaise
Oh Lord, how can I present myself at Your door with a dirty shawl.
Oh Lord of purity, I am completely ashamed to think of the dirty shawl
I will wear when I come back to You, to account for my present deeds.
You sent me into this world with a spotlessly clean body, free from the taint of evil, but during the years I have lived,
I have stained it with the dirt, not to last for one lifetime, but for several births.
How can I now remove these countless stains?
In Hindu scriptures, observers are reminded of the permanence of the Lord. In chanting Ram Naam Satya Hai, we remind ourselves that as many aspects of life are transient, we can find comfort in knowing there is permanence and an eventual place for our return. The departed may not be thinking of the Lord at the time of passing, and it is hoped that loved ones can help return the soul to the permanent dwelling of the divine.
Bhagavad-Gita 2:28, the Blessed Lord said to Arjuna, all created beings are unknown, unmanifest, or latent in their beginning. They manifest and become known in the middle, and in the end, after death, they will become unknown, unmanifest, or latent again. So why should you grieve?
Death is seen as a sacred pilgrimage and the start of the soul's next journey. Life is a continuous stream, just as the sun rises in the morning and sets in the night. In Hinduism, the soul is eternal, and the body is temporary. Like wearing a white cloth, we will eventually disrobe and discard it.
Each soul has three bodies, gross, subtle, and casual. Our gross body consists of nature’s elements, earth, water, fire, air, and space. Our subtle body consists of eighteen elements, five life airs, five working senses, five knowledge senses, mind, intellect, and ego. Our casual body consists of our karmas from endless past lives and our sanskaras or tendencies carried forward from previous lives. The soul discards its gross body and departs with its subtle and casual bodies at death. The all-knowing Lord provides the soul with a suitable mother and a new white cloth for the next life. There are as many births in this world as there are deaths. None of us are prepared that death can happen to us, yet we are all astonished when it happens. The wise person understands this divine truth and takes comfort in knowing the Lord’s truth.
In Jewish scriptures, the Talmud tells the story of the Sage Rabbi Akiva. One day Rabbi Akiva travelled to a city looking for a place to sleep and could not find one. In response, he said All that God does, he does for good. Rabbi Akiva went to sleep in the field with his lamp, rooster, and donkey. When he woke up, he saw the wind blew out his candle, a cat ate his rooster, and a lion ate the donkey. Rabbi Akiva repeated that all that God does, he does for good. Rabbi Akiva learned that marauders came to the city and captured its residents. Rabbi Akiva was saved because there was no light or animals to draw attention to him. When we acknowledge that God is the true Judge, we can take comfort in knowing that his plan is working in ways that we may not realize or understand.
Romans 8:28 reads, And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose. It can be easy to lose faith or hope in the face of suffering. There are great challenges that accompany death as it ultimately changes our worldviews. The Bible scriptures remind us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glories that will be revealed through God. We are destined for death and creation, and neither two can happen without the other. For those who believe, the Lord’s spirit is in all of us and is in control for the greater good, especially those who love and have faith in God. It is relatively easy to feel unloved or lost, especially in the face of suffering. There is comfort in knowing that God’s suffering refines us. We are unaware of God’s intimate knowledge, except that we will all transcend to his kingdom at one point. Humans have suffered for thousands of years, and the one constant is God. Having a relationship with God allows us to experience his truth, divine plan, joys, and suffering. God’s suffering allows those who believe to cultivate endurance, producing character and generating hope. The power of love produces hope through God’s spirit.
Bhagavad-Gita Chapter 4, Verse 11 reads, In whatever way people surrender unto Me, I reciprocate accordingly. Everyone follows My path, knowing or unknowingly. In this verse, similar to Romans 8:28, we learn that those who knowingly or unknowingly follow God will feel his love. Those who unknowingly deny his existence are met with the Law of Karma as he sits insides of their hearts, knows their actions, and dispenses their results. They are met with Maya or the illusions that God has to offer in the form of anger, lust and greed. Rather, for those who follow God or work for this greater purpose, God takes care of them by holding them dear to their hearts. In serving God, we serve ourselves and others by destroying endless Karma, freeing ourselves from Maya, and receiving diving bliss, knowledge, and love.
In the Ramayana, Lord Ram says to Hanuman, “O Hanuman, to release myself from the debt of one service you performed for me. I shall have to offer my life to you. I shall remain eternally indebted for all the other devotional services done by you.”
In this way, God reciprocates with everyone as they surrender to him, regardless of their religious background. The meaning behind the scriptural stories is our reminder that the divine is constantly working for you, especially those who see that God is great and is in all things.
We all have various personal beliefs, and there is no one stronger than the other. Regardless of the trials or tribulations, you endure, remember that there is divinity in us. We are all unconditionally loved, and there is a divine plan.
Trust, hope, and faith will see us through.