Bible Verses for Grief: Hope from the Lord

When it comes to grief, it is never the same for anyone. Your hard moments may be triggered by photos while another person’s trigger may be music. You may be able to hide your tears in public while your friend just breaks loose whenever the emotions come. No matter how you grieve, there is comfort for you waiting in God’s word.

Let’s examine some of the more comforting Bible verses for grief.

When you are brokenhearted, God is near.

Even though you may feel like you are alone in your brokenness, you are not. God is always near you and He understands your pain. Trust in His presence even when you don’t feel He is near.

The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. The afflictions of the righteous are many, But the LORD rescues him from them all. – Psalm 34:18-19, NASB

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9, NASB

Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful. – John 14:27, NASB

Amid the pain, God will comfort you.

The pain of grief is sometimes overwhelming and you just need to know that it will be okay. God’s comforting Spirit will always help you breathe through the pain. He loves you and wants to be your comfort in your most challenging times.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NASB

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – Matthew 5:4, NASB

This is my comfort in my misery, That Your word has revived me. – Psalm 119:50, NASB

There is hope in God’s love.

Losing someone close to you may cause your hope to become diminished. But God says He is always hope. His love is the hope that we need to continue in this life without our loved ones.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13, NASB

My soul, wait in silence for God alone, For my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, My refuge; I will not be shaken. My salvation and my glory rest on God; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. – Psalm 62:5-7, NASB

One day the crying will cease.

Tears of grief sting. They come with a pain that takes your breath away. God promises that there will be no more crying because of death. Putting our hope in His word brings us peace that will cause the tears to sting less.

And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4, NASB

Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. – Luke 6:21, NASB

He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the disgrace of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. – Isaiah 25:8, NASB

There will be beauty from this pain.

Grieving is ugly. It is difficult and affects every part of your life. But there are Bible verses for grief that let you know there will be a time of beauty after the grief.

To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. – Isaiah 61:3, NASB

For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for a lifetime; Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning. – Psalm 30:5, NASB

You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have untied my sackcloth and encircled me with joy. – Psam30:11, NASB

Everything has a season and a reason.
As cliche as it may be, there is a reason and season for everything that happens. Bible verses for grief often quote this mindset. We may not understand why we are experiencing the loss of a loved one. What we can do is trust God has everything under control.

There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven. A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. – Ecclesiastes 3:4, NASB

He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. – Ecclesiastes 3:11, NASB

God’s peace is enough.

When it comes to grieving it seems like the whole world is in chaos. Nothing makes sense. Things that were once an everyday occurrence have now disappeared. This is when you read Bible verses about grief and peace that we don’t understand.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:7, NASB

The LORD will give strength to His people; The LORD will bless His people with peace. – Psalm 29:11, NASB

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13, NASB

Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all! 2 Thessalonians 3:16, NASB

Learning to navigate grief.

Grief is a process that we have to learn to navigate on our own terms. We do not need to navigate by ourselves, but we cannot assume it will look the same for each of us. Though the stages are the same for most of us, we may not experience them the same way or even in the same order. Using Bible verses for grief to navigate these stages helps us reach the peace of God in the middle of our pain.

Denial. This is when you feel like it can’t be happening to you. You think about how you have prayed and believed, and you just don’t believe that God would let your loved one pass away. You may find yourself waiting for the daily phone call or the weekly visit that you once had with your loved one. Trust that God will comfort you through this stage.

Anger. This emotion may be directed at others unintentionally. You are so angry with the situation that you seem to lash out at everyone around you. Because you want to hold someone responsible for the loss of your loved one, you are overwhelmed with anger. Don’t let anger consume you. Learn to release that anger and find the best of what you have with you.

Bargaining. During the stage of bargaining, you try to figure out how you can get God to bring your loved one back. You offer to give God something in return for them. We have to know that God always makes the best decisions for us and our loved ones even when we cannot make sense of it. Seek Bible verses for grief and acceptance to help you work through this stage.

Depression. Experiencing depression can be a normal part of grief. But you don’t want to remain stuck in that mental state. Sadness due to grief can be physically overwhelming and this can cause you to remain in a state of depression. Simply missing your loved one and the activities you shared can also cause deep depression. You must read Bible verses for grief and depression.

Acceptance. The final stage of grief regardless of how you process the other stages is acceptance. When you can understand that you will be okay with how things are. You reach a place of knowing that even though you miss your loved one, you can function in life and experience joy.

What if I just can’t function?

If you ever feel as though you are being overwhelmed with grief to the point of being unable to function as you normally would do not hesitate to reach out to a grief counselor. You may even find a local grief group to help you navigate the stages of grief.