All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:16

Author God,

I was recently reminded how crucial it is 

to prayerfully consider now how we might approach suffering 

at the end of our lives. 

To my chagrin, in a novel I recently read, 

an aging couple, 

the husband who had dementia, 

and his wife, who had cancer, 

chose to end their lives 

rather than face the hard days of dying with disease. 

In our day, we should not be surprised about this plot line. 

Indeed, the “Medical Assistance in Dying” act in Canada and other countries, 

along with physician-assisted suicide 

are becoming more common. 

Father, help us to think now about “a good death.” 

Help us to ask,

as one theologian suggests,

“How can I live now 

so that when I die

my death is an optimal blessing 

to my family, my friends, 

the church, and the world?” 

Help us, as another wrote, 

to consider whether we can trust you in our dying, 

in the time when we may become passive and helpless, 

unable to control our bodies, our minds, our pain. 

Indeed, you have shown us the way through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who, though he was “oppressed and afflicted,” “opened not his mouth.” 

Yes, he agonized in the garden, 

pleading with you to take the cup of suffering. 

And yet, he submitted to your wisdom and sovereign plan, 

saying, “Yet not my will but thine be done” (Luke 22:42). 

Lord, help us to pray through this, 

to discuss this with wise friends and family, 

so that if you allow us to suffer at the end of our lives, 

we are willing to endure, trusting your plan. 

Help us to consider how our approach to death may impact others — 

that we may point to our hope of glory in our final days. 

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Read Psalm 139; Luke 22:39-46; Isaiah 53.