Understanding the Role of Prayer and Relationship with God for Christians Before and after the Death of a Child

The purpose of this study was to conceptualize the role of prayer and relationship with God for parents who experienced the death of a child. In-depth interviews were conducted with eighteen parents (N = 18) who fall under the Protestant Christian religion. A thematic analysis was conducted, and results indicate that the role of prayer for parents before the death of a child were considered active prayers as defined by Baesler (1999) in the relational prayer theory and relationship maintenance. The role of prayer for after the death of a child for parents indicate the themes dependence on God, sensemaking, vehicle to peace and thankfulness. The results indicate that parents’ relationship with God before the death of their child was deemed as unspecific and lacking depth enough to be discussed and the relationship with God after the death of their child was noted as the relationship changed, they were closer with God and they were being carried by God. Results of this study expand on the relational prayer theory and the direct divine communication model suggested by Sigler (2014) including a discussion of receptive prayer as defined by Baelser (1999) in the relational prayer theory and of direct divine communication as defined by Sigler (2014).