What is a good prayer to say if you know you are dying?

Question

Perhaps a strange question, so it might warrant an explanation. I'm writing a story about a crew of astronauts who are about to die during re-entry, and they all know it. I want to have the commander praying, but I don't actually know any prayers because I've never been that religious. Can anyone help me out?

Answer 1

What better prayer than Jesus's own dying words? "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit." Or Jesus's promise to the thief crucified next to Him? "This day thou shalt be with Me in paradise."

You could also quote the tax collector (the publican) who beat his breast in the Temple and said, "O God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

If the astronaut is a Catholic, however, he would very naturally say the Hail Mary, which ends, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."

Answer 2

"The fascinating thing is that we can prove that prayer has no effect in exactly the same way that we can prove that horseshoes have no effect. We take 1,000 cancer patients. We pray over 500 of them and we leave the other 500 alone. Then we look at cancer remission rates between the two groups. What we find is that prayers have zero benefit. We would see no statistical difference between the remission rates in the two groups of 500 patients.

In other words, we can prove that the belief in prayer is pure superstition. The belief in the power of prayer is no different from the belief in the power of lucky horseshoes.

These experiments have been performed many times, and they always return the same results. For example, this article says:

One of the most scientifically rigorous studies yet, published earlier this month, found that the prayers of a distant congregation did not reduce the major complications or death rate in patients hospitalized for heart treatments.
And:
A review of 17 past studies of ''distant healing," published in 2003 by a British researcher, found no significant effect for prayer or other healing methods.
An article from March, 2006 discusses another study that confirms the same thing:
In the largest study of its kind, researchers found that having people pray for heart bypass surgery patients had no effect on their recovery. In fact, patients who knew they were being prayed for had a slightly higher rate of complications."

Answer 3

Are they Christians? Do they want to be Christians? IS the commander praying for them to be saved, if they are not, and how do the other astronauts feel about this?

It's hard for me to help unless I know all the details.
The prayer would be different if they are already Christians. If some are not and don't believe at all, would this work?

If it were me, I would thank God for my life and ask that He bless everyone whom I loved and keep them safe. I'd tell Him that I loved Him and would see Him soon.

Answer 4

Re-entry probably doesn't allow for a long speech ... but "the Jesus prayer" is brief enough to sum up the essentials at a time like that:

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"

Answer 5

Some have been converted on their deathbeds. It should be something like this... O Lord, I am sorry for all the sin I have commited, I am asking for forgiveness by the blood of Jesus Christ. Wash me whiter than snow and create in me a new heart. Fill me with your holy spirit. I ask this in Jesus name., Amen. This is the sinners prayer, but beware. Dont think that you can wait until your deathbed to receive Christ. Your heart must be completely sold unto Jesus, you must love him with all you heart, soul, mind and might. If you consciously devise in your heart that you will continue in sin til your deathbed, your prayer may be rejected as insincere. Dont wait brother, pray the prayer now. God is standing with his arms wide open to receive your prayer and your soul into everlasting fellowship and paradise.

Luke 12:20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

Luke 12:45-46
But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.

Answer 6

Father forgive me for I have sinned, even though I was not aware of the sin. I trespassed in areas that are sacred to you, forgive me of my trespasses.

I pray that I may enter the heavens and that they may be revealed to me, as I only saw the stars. Loving Father accept the company of my crew, and forgive those who sent them. They knew not the sin they committed.

Answer 7

There is no sin so large that God is not willing, and able, to forgive us of it when we truly turn to Him in repentance, desiring His forgiveness.

Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and need forgiveness. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, according to the Scriptures, and I thank you for raising Him from the dead. Today I ask Him to come into my heart to cleanse me from my sin and become my Lord and Savior. I give myself to you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen!

Answer 8

Well I have been told I can die at any time,my heart is 95%
blocked after a by-pass,nothing else to be done,but I am at peace with God and leave it in his hand,s,when you know
you are safe in God it,s peaceful.

Answer 9

They were praying to make their amends to their Creator in the hope they would have forgiveness and receive eternal life.


" I am The Way, The Truth and The Life; no man can come to the Father except trough me". - Jesus

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Answer 10

Lord Jesus
Into your hands I commit my spirit