Does prayer provide strength when death is near? Many people facing the end of life turn to prayer and find it brings real comfort and inner power, according to studies and religious views.
In palliative care, which focuses on easing suffering for those with serious illnesses, spirituality plays a big role. Patients often want spiritual support, yet doctors do not always offer it enough. One study looked at healthcare workers using a tool called the Ars Moriendi Model to check on patients’ spiritual needs during home-based care for life-threatening conditions. Nurses and family doctors who tried this approach shared in interviews that it helped them connect deeply with patients, bringing peace in tough times.
Another program trained family medicine doctors in spiritual care over years. Through interviews, these doctors reported that learning to address spiritual needs, including prayer, made them better at supporting patients near death. They saw prayer as a way to help patients feel less alone and more hopeful.
Experts in spiritual care, like those in a project with end-of-life patients and physicians, highlight prayer in doctor-patient talks. In one essay, a doctor noted that shared prayer can build trust and give strength during final days. Patients in hospitals described prayer as a source of calm amid pain.
Religious traditions back this up too. Jewish teachings allow prayer to ease misery when death approaches, without pushing for active ending of life. Christian groups stress spiritual care alongside pain relief, urging churches and doctors to provide emotional and prayer-based support so dying people do not feel abandoned. These views show prayer as a tool for facing death with courage.
Patients and caregivers alike report that prayer quiets fears, fosters hope, and strengthens resolve. Even in modern medicine, it fills a gap that pills alone cannot touch.
Sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12699817/
https://www.britannica.com/procon/MAID-medical-aid-in-dying-debate/Religious-Perspectives-on-Euthanasia-and-Medical-Aid-in-Dying
