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Grief Bible Verses: 55 Passages For Comfort

In times of sorrow, lean on these grief bible verses to help remind you that you are not alone and that happy days will return.

Grief is part of life. It is an extremely difficult part of life, but it is something everyone experiences at one point or another.

When we love someone we love, like a family member or best friend, it is a difficult time.

When it comes to grief, a lot of us who are religious turn to God or our religion for hope. We have religious centric wakes and funerals. We have our own customs and traditions we follow.

While it doesn’t take the pain away in your time of loss, it can be a great comfort to know your loved one has entered into the kingdom of heaven.

Religion is all about having home and in a time of grief, hope is what we really need. Just as the bible can inspire confidence, it can comfort us in difficult times.

If you are grieving, religion and God can be a great source of comfort in everyday life. The good news is his steadfast love and unfailing love can be the perfect peace through the darkest valley known as the grieving process.

Opening up your Bible and reading passages that understand what you are going through and give you hope can really help.

Here are the best bible verses about grief for you to turn to when you need them. They will give you strength, hope, and serve as a nice reminder.

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55 Grief Bible Verses

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 – “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

This is also the quote that Kevin Bacon says in “Footloose.” He may have been talking about dancing, but the point that there’s a time for everything still stands.

There is a time for everything under the sun – including a time to die and a time to weep. This is a reminder that this is all part of life and they are things that every person will experience.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 – “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.”

A reminder that when you die, your spirit lives on and returns back to where it belongs, with God.

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

You may feel like you do not have any comfort or any joy while you are grieving, but that’s not true. You are still blessed, you do have comfort, and God is looking over you and giving you strength to get through this.

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.”

Hand your burden of grief to God.

Matthew 26:38 – “Then [Jesus] said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”

Sorrow cuts deep, deeper than any of us could ever expect.

Matthew 28:20 – “I am with you always.”

Pay attention to that “always.” When you are grieving and feeling along, God is with you. That “always” also means God is always with us, including with your loved one right now who has passed on.

1 Peter 5:7 – “Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you.”

God is here to help. Cast your worries onto him through prayer. Let Him take them from you. Pray for strength. Pray for your loved one who passed. Pay for yourself. Talk to God and tell him what worries you have. It will make you feel better to get them off your chest.

1 Peter 5:10 – “After your season of suffering, God in all his grace will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

This suffering and grieving you are going through right now is just a season. All seasons come to an end, this will to. And when this ends, you will have strength and live your life again.

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.

God sent Jesus to this world knowing that Jesus would die. That speaks volumes! He knew Jesus would be grieved. But He knew He had to do this to show the eternal life. Your loved one too has eternal life. Take comfort in that. You will see them again one day, in eternity.

John 11:25-26 – “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?'”

Read that again – “will never die.” Yes, everyone does physically. But if you are religious, you know that your spirit lives on. You never will really die.

John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Peace may not always come easily, but remember that God is leaving peace with you and with your heart.

John 16:22 – “So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”

Even while you are grieving and you feel as though every ounce of joy has been taken away from you, know that it hasn’t. It’s still there and lives on in you. You will smile and laugh again. Your joy will come back out. It can take some time, but it will happen.

Luke 6:21 – “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

The same as the above. You are crying now, but know and remember that one day you will be laughing again. Your laughter is still within you, just waiting to come back out.

Luke 23:43 – “Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

Remind yourself that even though your loved one is no longer physically with you, they are with Jesus in paradise.

Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

If you are religious, you believe in the Second Coming. Better days are coming and God is working to end all the pain and suffering we face.

Psalm 6:6 – “My groaning has worn me out. At night my bed and pillow are soaked with tears.”

This is one of those bible passages that is so relatable it hurts.

Psalm 18:2 – “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

This is a good verse to say to yourself as a mantra or write down in your journal as a reminder that God is with you, giving you strength, even during this time of grief.

Psalm 23:4 – “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.”

There is no reason to fear death as long as we have our God. He is always with us, whether we are the one coming face to face with death or the loved one grieving.

Psalm 25: 16-17 – “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.”

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?”

A reminder that there is no reason to be afraid of death.

Psalm 27: 4-5 – “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: 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 seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.”

While your pain may be great, the Lord will keep you safe.

Psalm 30:5 – “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Again, there is a time and season for everything. You may be having a dark time right now, but you will be happy again. Think of the song “Tomorrow” from “Annie.” “The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun.” It’s the same concept!

Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

God is there with you right now, lifting you up in this period of darkness and saving you.

Psalm 59:16 – “You are my protection, my place of safety in times of trouble.”

Remind yourself that God is here to not protect you from grief but to provide a place of rest.

Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

A reminder that even though our loved one has physically died, their heart and soul are with God forever.

Psalm 86:17 – “Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.”

We all want signs when we are grieving – whether that sign be from our loved one who has past on or a sign that we will get through this. It’s OK to ask God to give you a sign. Pray for one. You may just get the sign you need.

Psalm 147:3 – “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

A reminder that God is here for you.

Philippians 1:21 – “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

You have probably heard in church or by a religious leader that death isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. And it is! It’s the start of something new – it’s the start of eternity with God.

Philippians 1:3-6 – “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

A reminder to you that God is with you.

Philippians 4:6-8 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 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.”

Keep in mind that you are not alone in you grief.

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

This includes getting through grieve and getting through losing a loved one. God has given you the strength to get through this. Remind yourself of that.

Romans 5:1-5 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

This suffering and grieving that you are experiencing right now is giving you strength and endurance that you may not have known you had. This then results in a change of your character, which gives you a new perspective to life, like hope. And religion and faith is all about having hope, right?

Romans 8:18 – “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Better days are ahead.

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Grief is something we all experience. And while it may not feel like it now, this is a part of your life that you were meant to experience.

Romans 8:38 -39 – “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Nothing separates us from God.

Romans 12:2 – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 14:8 – “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

In both life and death, our souls belong to God.

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

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

You are not alone! God is with you. Do not be afraid of life without your loved one. Do not let your grief discourage you. God is with you, giving you what you need, even when it doesn’t feel like it.

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.”

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 – “Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal.”

Do not focus on the fact that your loved one is no longer with you. Instead, focus on how they are living on eternally.

1 Corinthians 13:7-8 – “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves. Love never fails.”

Don’t take that “always” lightly – it really means always, which is why it’s repeated. Even in death, love remains.

1 Corinthians 15:26 – “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Death is the enemy. Thinking of it like that can really put things in perspective for you.

1 Corinthians 15:55 – “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

Proverbs 3:5-6 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Do not give in to all of those grieving thoughts. Instead, acknowledge God is there and has a plan for you and your loved one. By doing this, his plan for you can become clearer.

Isaiah 53:4 – “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.”

2 Timothy 4:7-8 – “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

Lamentations 3:31-32 – “My Lord definitely won’t reject forever. Although He has caused grief, He will show compassion in measure with his covenant loyalty.”

1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 – “Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about people who have died so that you won’t mourn like others who don’t have any hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose, so we also believe that God will bring with Him those who have died in Jesus.”

We believe that our loved ones are now living eternally with Jesus.

Your mourning and grieving should be different than those who don’t believe this. There’s an aspect of hope in your mourning and grieving – don’t ignore it. Build it. It’ll help you move on.

Nehemiah 8:10 – “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Think of God, think of all that he has given you and all that he will continue to give you, and take comfort and happiness in that fact.

Genesis 28:15 – “I [the Lord] am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 – “The Lord your God will go with you. He will not leave you or forget you.”

Even in your darkest days of grieving, even when it feels like your loved one left you and you are all alone, know that God has not left you or forgotten about you. He is there for you, guiding you, even if you can’t see it. Remind yourself of that.

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.”

This is the shortest verses in the Bible but one of the most powerful. Everyone experiences sorrow and pain, Jesus included. Remember that Jesus also wept.

Zephaniah 3:17 – “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Why Turn To The Bible In Times of Grief and Sorrow?

Many people turn to the Bible in times of grief because it offers comfort, hope, and guidance.

The Bible contains many passages that address grief and offer wisdom and solace to those who are struggling.

Here are some reasons why the Bible can be helpful in times of grief:

  1. The Bible provides words of comfort and reassurance. Many passages in the Bible offer words of comfort and reassurance, reminding us that we are not alone in our grief and that God is with us in our pain.
  2. The Bible provides a way to connect with God. When we are grieving, it can be difficult to find the words to pray or to connect with God. It offers a way to connect with God through its words and messages.
  3. The Bible offers wisdom and guidance. The Bible contains many stories of people who have experienced grief and hardship, and it provides guidance on how to navigate these difficult times.
  4. Finally, the Bible reminds us of the hope we have in Christ. The Bible offers hope that death is not the end and that we will one day be reunited with our loved ones in heaven.

In short, the Bible can be a source of comfort, guidance, and hope in times of grief, helping us to find solace and strength as we navigate our way through difficult times.

If you need more comfort, try some scripture coloring pages to help you navigate grief and relieve stress.

In Summary: 55 Grief Bible Verses For Hard Times

These grief bible verses will provide you with comfort in hard times. It is not easy to walk through grief, no matter how we spin it. But we can take solace in knowing that we are not alone.


About the Author

Michelle Ioannou

Michelle graduated from Fordham University with a Bachelors of Arts '13 and a Master of Arts '14. She's currently working in corporate America with a side of freelance writing. She wants you to learn from her experiences and mistakes so your 20s can be your best decade. When she's not working, she's likely planning her escape to a tropical island.