Bible Verses about Grief to Give You Comfort

Death is an unavoidable part of life. We all know that there will come a time when we have to say goodbye to someone that we love. The grief that hits when a loved one dies can feel like being hit by a tsunami of emotions – sadness, anger, hopelessness, and fear.

Grief is categorized into stages, but these stages aren’t something that you progress through in an orderly fashion. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance are the recognized stages, yet being in the depression stage doesn’t mean you stop being angry.

Going through grief can feel incredibly lonely, especially if you’ve lost your spouse or partner. Turning to the Bible and reading Bible verses about grief and verses about death can allow you to find strength in God when you feel that you have no strength of your own.

5 Bible Verses about Grief

In this article, we’re going to focus on five Bible verses about the death of a loved one. These verses won’t take the pain of your grief away, but they may bring you some small comfort.

The Hope of the Resurrection

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. – 1 Thessalonians 4:13

This is one of the most powerful Bible verses about the death of a loved one. In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he reminds us that however hard it is to lose someone that we love, death is only temporary.

Jesus’ resurrection is the source of our hope when we are grieving because it is tangible proof of the future resurrection of all those believers who have died. The current pain of loss that you’re feeling may be overwhelming, but it’s important that you remember that you haven’t said goodbye to your loved one forever. There will come a time when you see them again and it is this knowledge that means that Christian grief is different from the grief of those without faith.

God Collects Your Tears

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. – Psalm 56:8

There will be a lot of tears shed when you are grieving. As time goes on, the tears may flow less, but they will still come – sometimes catching you off guard. The sadness will never completely leave you, and shedding tears is perfectly natural.

Tears are part of the healing process, and in one of these Bible verses for the passing of a loved one, we see how much God values our tears. When you feel alone in your grief, remember that God grieves with you, and collects every one of your tears.

God is Our Refuge and Strength

God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! – Psalm 46:1-3

When you are grieving it feels exhausting and you may feel that you have absolutely no strength left. In this comforting Bible verse for death, the psalmist makes an important statement that you can cling to when you are feeling utterly weak and exhausted by your grief.

God is the source of our strength, and it is His strength that we depend on when we feel that we can’t go on. The picture that this verse envisions is one of God being the place that you can run to when you’re feeling overwhelmed by your grief. As a child runs into their parent’s arms when they are sad or hurting, you can run into your Heavenly Father’s arms for refuge and strength.

God is Faithful

I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. – Lamentations 3:20-25

Lament is one of the Bible genres that reminds us that grieving is part of being human. The Book of Lamentations is obviously full of lamenting, but a good portion of the Psalms are also in this genre. In this passage, the first verse is clearly a Bible verse about the death of a loved one, but there’s a gradual progression towards a more hopeful view.

God is faithful, even when we are feeling broken by our losses. His love for us is greater than any human love possibly could ever be, and when we remember this, we find strength in his faithfulness. Grieving will not last forever, and there is hope.

Jesus Offers Hope

Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going. – John 14:1-4

Turning to God for strength is an important part of the Christian walk through grief. Sometimes strength from the Lord comes simply from putting your trust in Him. Before Jesus was arrested, He spoke to His disciples about His forthcoming death, knowing that when He was in the tomb, they would be stricken by grief.

Knowing not only that Jesus is going to prepare a place in Heaven for us, but also that our loved ones are in that place with Him can be a great source of comfort when you are grieving. Jesus asks us to put our trust in Him even when we are distraught at the loss of our loved ones.

At first, particularly during the “anger” stage of the grieving process, you may find it hard to put your trust in God. However, as time goes on, and your anger lessens, you will find that trusting God’s plan and purposes is a great source of strength.

Bible Verses About Grief Give You Strength When You’re Weak

It’s incredibly tough going through a time of grief. God understands how hard it is to hold onto hope when you’re raw with the loss of your loved ones. There are plenty of Bible verses about the death of a loved one because death is such an inevitable part of human existence. You may find it comforting to read Bible verses about death to remind yourself that you’re not alone in the intensity of your feelings.

Christian Grief Counseling

If you’re finding it hard to go on after the death of your loved one, you may want to think about seeking help and support from a Christian counselor. An experienced Christian grief counselor can give you the space to talk about your feelings and offer advice from a biblical perspective. You can learn coping mechanisms to help you manage your feelings of overwhelming sadness.

There are many more Bible verses about grief and comforting Bible verses for death and a Christian counselor can help you to explore these further. Christian counseling has helped many others in the same position as you and can give you the safe space you need to talk about your grief.