15 Bible Verses to Comfort You in Grief

1. Grief brings with it a strong element of fear.

First of all, grief brings with it a strong element of fear, whether it's the fear of the inevitable grief to come, or the fear that you will never be able to rise above the overwhelming sense of loss.

Scripture provides some wonderful verses that can come alongside you with promises while you fear the aspects of grief.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

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.

2. Grief introduces an element of depression and dismay.

Grief also introduces an element of depression and dismay. It can be the culprit that steals your joy, eliminates your anticipation of the future, and chips away at contentment. This also is not an unusual element of grief. Perhaps the most belittled element in Christian culture, this may be the part of grief to which we often attribute Scriptures that indicate we need more faith. That we should have an eternal perspective. While an eternal perspective is particularly true, it doesn't always erase the immediate pit of sorrow that drives us into despair.

Sometimes, we need Scripture that addresses our need for encouragement. For hope.

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.

Exodus 15:2

The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

Isaiah 40:29

He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, he increases strength.

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."

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3. Along with the need for encouragement, we also find ourselves scrambling for strength.

Along with the need for encouragement, we also find ourselves scrambling for strength. This strength can be as extreme as questioning God and trying to hold onto our faith to simply having the courage to get out of bed in the morning. Grief can swallow us whole without the strength that comes from a power greater than our own. It can be a weight that holds us beneath the surface until we drown under its pressure.

And yet, there are Scriptures that remind us of a strength offered that can revive our spirit while we traverse the tempests of grief.

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.

Colossians 1:11

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.

Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

4. Healing from grief requires the introduction and the reminder of hope.

Most of all, healing from grief requires the introduction and the reminder of hope. That element of support that not only holds but brings with it light. Even a pinprick of hope can shatter darkness. It is something on which you can fix your eyes. Promises that make grief somehow bearable. When we challenge death and where its sting has gone, we don't acknowledge the absence of grief. Instead, we acknowledge the presence of hope. We recognize the promises that weave throughout the hope of eternity, the hope of a loved one who claimed faith in Christ, and the hope of a reunion more magnificent and filled with joy than we can possible imagine.

Hope-filled Scriptures are the ones to take to bed with you. The ones to curl around and hold in your darkest moments. They are the Scriptures which promise it isn't over yet.

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 34:8

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.

Psalm 84:11

For the LORD is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Ephesians 1:13

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.

As you navigate the elements of grief, be gentle with yourself. Remind yourself of the hope that springs from the grace that is given, but also remind yourself of Christ's tears at the door of his friend's grave and the sorrow that wrapped itself around the foot of the cross. Sin has brought a curse upon humanity, and that curse is death. An eternal separation from God—who is good, holy, hopeful, loving, and just. We, too, can curl at the foot of the cross in the sorrow that this curse has brought. Or, we can reposition ourselves to the open door of the grave of Jesus and bask in the warmth of the resurrected life, breathe deep of the strength offered there, banish fears to the corners of our hearts, and most of all, hope. We can hope again. 

His Word promises that.