Some people find cemeteries depressing. Others find them interesting, even inspiring. But did you know a cemetery can be a rewarding place to pray?<\/p>\n
Near my Ohio home are several beautiful cemeteries, some of the loveliest in the country. One of them, Spring Grove Cemetery, encompasses more than 700 acres, most of which are so beautifully landscaped and maintained that the cemetery is frequently studied by horticulturalists and cemetery planners from around the world.<\/p>\n
Such a sylvan setting makes an ideal backdrop for a prayer walk or period of meditation, not only because of its beauty but also because the surroundings suggest and focus prayer in unique ways. For example:<\/p>\n
1) Pray for grieving friends and family.<\/strong> 2) Pray for loved ones whose lives may be ending.<\/strong> 3) Pray for yourself, to make the most of your remaining days.<\/strong> 4) Pray metaphorically.<\/strong> 5) Give thanks for the promise of resurrection.<\/strong> Whether you pass a cemetery on your morning jog, linger there after a committal service or intentionally go there to enjoy the scenic setting, you can, by prayer, turn an otherwise gloomy reminder of death into beautiful moments of prayer and meditation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Some people find cemeteries depressing. Others find them interesting, even inspiring. But did you know a cemetery can be a rewarding place to pray? Near my Ohio home are several beautiful cemeteries, some of the loveliest in the country. One of them, Spring Grove Cemetery, encompasses more than 700 acres, most of which are so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":30681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[251],"tags":[14],"ppma_author":[465],"class_list":["post-24083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to-pray","tag-spiritual-growth"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nWhen you see a fresh grave, take a moment to pray for the family and friends whose loved one has been so recently buried. The sight can even prompt memories of those among your friends and family whose recent departure from this life is still felt and grieved.<\/p>\n
\nLet the proximity of life\u2019s end suggested by tombs and tombstones prompt prayer for the terminally ill and the aged who may be about to cross the bar, to use Tennyson\u2019s image.<\/p>\n
\nBeing among graves and tombs reminds us that our lives \u201care like a breath of air; [our] days are like a passing shadow\u201d (Psalm 144:4, NLT). So there may be no better place to give thanks for your life and also pray for the time you have left, that it will be plentiful and productive.<\/p>\n
\nEzekiel 37 records the prophet\u2019s vision in a cemetery of sorts\u2014a valley of dry bones. There, God used that sight to deliver the message, \u201cThis is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live\u201d (Ezekiel 37:12-14, NLT). Similarly, a cemetery can stimulate prayer for revival and renewal, restoration and resurrection\u2014of a church, business, family, marriage, nation, etc.<\/p>\n
\nGive thanks that even in the midst of death, followers of Jesus need not \u201cgrieve like people who have no hope\u201d (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Give thanks for Jesus\u2019 promise: \u201cI am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying\u201d (John 11:25, NLT). Give thanks for \u201cthe Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory,\u201d even as we \u201clong for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering\u201d (Romans 8:23, NLT).<\/p>\n