The Bible has much to say about grief, hope, and comfort in a time of loss. In fact, one might view the central theme of the Scriptures as one of suffering — specifically, the suffering of the Righteous One on behalf of those who suffer from sin and have no hope.
A careful, faithful reading of God’s word provides “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). This is particularly true for those who grieve.
Grief and Hope in the Bible
God’s word is truly robust, containing accurate descriptions of reality, a rich understanding of human nature, a realistic framework for grief, and lasting help for those who mourn.
The Scriptures acknowledge the reality of grief.
Grief is a natural response to loss, and believers and unbelievers alike feel its presence in our lives in this fallen world. God’s word helps us to honestly confront and express grief.
The Scriptures provide comfort to those who grieve.
We can turn to the Lord for comfort, guidance, and hope in the midst of the worst trials. God has wisdom, solace, and assurance to give as we cling to his promises.
The Scriptures provide confidence in God’s sovereign hand.
God wisely rules over all situations in such a way that he uses even the worst thing that has ever happened – the unjust death of the only truly innocent and righteous man who ever lived – to result in good. That is why, by faith, we can find peace even in the darkest times.
The Scriptures allow time for healing.
“How long, O Lord?” the Psalmist cries out in Psalm 13:1. “Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” In God’s word there is recognition that our trials sometimes last for a long time, and the length of the healing process will vary from person to person and from situation to situation.
The Scriptures teach us to bear one another’s burdens.
You’re not alone in your grief and pain. God has designed his body, the church, so that you have a built-in community of support in your time of grief.
The Scriptures point us to a true resurrection hope in Christ.
Through Christ’s victory over death, all who put their trust in him have the assurance of eternal life and full restoration in the New Heavens and New Earth. The Bible promises a complete triumph over sin, death, and the grave through the saving work of Christ. That is a promise you can rely on.
Now it’s time to look at some of these Scriptures. As you do, my prayer is that you would read them as what they are: The very words of God.
Urns Made in the USA
Here are over 100 promising Bible verses about grief and hope, taken from over 50 different passages throughout the Old and New Testaments.
Scriptures About Grief
These Bible passages tell us about the experience of grief. While it’s helpful to have an understanding of the grieving process, there’s nothing like God’s word to help us understand the inner workings of the heart.
Remember that when Jesus was confronted with the death of his friend, even knowing the resurrection that was about to take place, He wept. He felt the bitter pain of loss while trusting in his Father perfectly.
Let the following Bible verses about grief and hope renew your mind in the midst of your mourning, knowing that God understands what you’re feeling right now because He designed you to function this way.
Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.
Lamentations 3:19-24
Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;
Great is your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”
Psalm 56:8
You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
Ecclesiastes 7:2-4
It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
Nehemiah 8:10
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Psalm 9:9-10
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Isaiah 53:3-6
He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
Psalm 34:18
Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 86:1-13
Incline your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my life, for I am godly;
save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
Be gracious to me, O Lord,
for to you do I cry all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving,
abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
listen to my plea for grace.
In the day of my trouble I call upon you,
for you answer me.
There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.
Teach me your way, O Lord,
that I may walk in your truth;
unite my heart to fear your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
Related: 50 Timeless Bible Verses for Funerals
Scriptures for Hope in the Midst of Grief
Deep grief springs from the loss of someone or something very dear to you. The Father of Compassion designed you to mourn in such times of loss, so it’s important to recognize that grieving takes time.
In the midst of this season of sorrow, God’s word provides trustworthy rays of hope.
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Hebrews 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Romans 8:18
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Daniel 12:2
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
1 Peter 1:23-25
You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
John 16:33
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
Psalm 124:8
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Promising Words of Hope
God’s word provides more than history and rules. He gives us his “precious and very great promises.” He says (in 2 Peter 1:4) that through those promises we actually become more godly and Christlike, because his promises help us to escape the corrupting influences of the world and of sin.
So, friend, hold on to these promises in hope. He is able to do far more abundantly than all that you could possibly ask or think!
1 Peter 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials.
John 16:22
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
Psalm 13:5-6
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Romans 15:13
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.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord anointed me To bring good news to the humble;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
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.
Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
Isaiah 25:8
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.
Revelation 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Isaiah 65:17-18
For behold, I create new heavens
and a new earth,
and the former things shall not be remembered
or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever
in that which I create.
John 5:2
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
Related: 50 Comforting Bible Verses for Grief & Loss
Promising Words of Comfort
God is our source of comfort, and we come to know God through his word. Read through these passages knowing that he has great comfort in store for you, even in the darkest valley.
Psalm 27:4
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
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 may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
Psalm 59:16-17
But I will sing of your strength,
in the morning I will sing of your love;
for you are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
You are my strength, I sing praise to you;
you, God, are my fortress,
my God on whom I can rely.
Isaiah 26:3
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
2 Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all people. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
John 14:1-3
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Psalm 71:19-21
You who have done great things,
O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
you will bring me up again.
You will increase my greatness
and comfort me again.
John 14:18-20
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
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