Praying for a Dead Person

Question:

Is it right for Christians to do a 40 day prayer when family members die in remembrance of Jesus' ascension and to have yearly death prayers for them.


Answer:

Thank you so much for your question. There are no Scriptural recommendations regarding praying for the dead for 40 days or having yearly death prayers. Just because Jesus' Ascension happened after 40 days doesn't mean the souls of Christians who die today will have to wait for the same period of time before going to God. Paul clearly said in 2 Cor 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."


In fact we should never pray for the dead person's soul/spirit because our prayers will have no effect on them. Many people falsely believe that when they pray for the dead they will be taken from the place of torment to heaven. This is totally an unscriptural idea. Our prayers will not determine whether the departed soul will go to heaven or hell. Prayer is a means of getting God's will done on earth. It does not have an effect on the person who has left the earthly realm.


Having said that, there is nothing wrong in remembering the dead person and acknowledging the fact that we miss them. We can thank God for bringing that person into our life and the lessons we have learnt from them. Such a prayer as you see will not affect the eternal destiny of the departed loved one.