Prayer for young adults

Lord Jesus,

You went into death to break its power. Hebrews 2:14 says You destroyed the one who held the power of death, the devil. You did not just fight death from the outside. You went inside it and broke it open.

I am still afraid of death in quiet ways I do not say out loud. A medical test that comes back unclear. A friend a few years older who just got a hard diagnosis. A grandma whose calls are getting harder to fit in because her energy is fading. The quiet thought that I will not always be young, and that life ahead will hold more loss than I want to face.

This is not me pretending to be brave. This is me telling You the truth. You went into death and took away its right to rule over those who belong to You. Death is still real. It is still hard. It still brings grief. But it is not in charge anymore. Its power has been broken, even though it still looks scary.

So today, walk me past the things I keep avoiding. The hard talk I have been putting off with someone who is dying. The thought about my own death I keep pushing away. The grief I have not made room for yet. Help me bring all of this into the open with You. My fear is real, but it has a limit. You have already gone through this door ahead of me and made it a way home. Help me follow You through it without the cold panic of someone who does not know the lock has been broken.

Amen.