13 Scriptures About Loss and Grief to Comfort Your Soul

Loss is an inevitable part of life, but knowing so doesn’t make the pain any easier to bear. Whether it comes through the death or divorce of a loved one, material loss, loss of your health or job, or even the loss of a long-held dream, dealing with it can be one of the darkest times of your life. Nothing can emotionally prepare you for it, and with every loss there is grief.

Grieving is a deep emotional response to loss and is a necessary part of healing. It is a process that cannot be rushed, and that does not come and go according to an orderly timeframe. Different people cope with grief in different ways, and its depth and duration can vary according to their personalities and the cause of their loss.

Rarely is it a linear process that you can simply get over in a predetermined amount of time. Grief tends to be cyclical, occurring in waves that gradually spread further apart over time.

When you are grieving a loss, friends and family members may struggle to find the right words to console you, but God knows exactly how you feel. The Bible contains many scriptures about loss that can provide comfort and strength, as well as help ground you as you make your way through this painful season.

Scriptures about loss and grief.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, — Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, NIV

This passage is a reminder that grief is a normal part of the ever-changing seasons of life. Even though it may not feel like it, your grief will not last forever, and you will learn to laugh again.

He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hid their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. – Isaiah 53:3-4, NIV

Jesus can empathize with what you are going through and mourns with you when you grieve. He experienced great sorrow, pain, and grief while He was on this earth in human form. He understands how you feel.

Jesus wept. – John 11:35, NIV

In this world, none of us is exempt from sorrow and pain. Grief is a normal reaction to the loss of a loved one, and it’s okay to weep over that loss. Even Jesus wept when he received the news that his friend, Lazarus, had died.

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 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. – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, NIV

For Christians, death is not a final goodbye. We do not grieve the death of a fellow believer in the same way that unbelievers do, because unlike them, even during our grief we can have an eternal hope that we will spend eternity with God after our physical death. Even amid our grief, we can take comfort in knowing that our lost loved ones are now living in the presence of Jesus and that we will see them again.

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. – Isaiah 41:10, NIV

God promises to be with you and to give you the strength you need to weather the difficult seasons of your life. He will walk alongside you as you go through the grieving process, and help you make it through to the other side

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18, NIV

God is near to those who grieve, providing comfort, love, and hope to those who turn to Him. You are never alone. Lean on Him and allow Him to heal your broken heart.

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

Even though your heart may ache or your body suffers from ill health, you do not have to feel hopeless if your trust is in the Lord. He will give you strength to deal with whatever life throws your way while you inhabit this earth, as well as the assurance of eternal life with Him after your time in this realm is done.  

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. – Psalm 23:4, NIV

You are never alone. God is walking beside you, leading the way. You can depend on Him to guide you through the dark valley.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:3, NIV

God wants to comfort you and minister to you. He uses the grieving process to heal your broken heart and make you whole.

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. –John 16:22, NIV

The grief you now feel over your loss will not be permanent, and it cannot even begin to compare to the love and joy you will experience when you are reunited with your loved ones and with 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. – Revelation 21:4, NIV

This present season will not last forever. Believers can look forward to an eternity in heaven when this life is over. A place where God will wipe away our tears, make everything right, and where there will be no more grief or sorrow or pain.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. — John 11:25-26a, NIV

When followers of Jesus die, they are never really gone. Even though they pass away from this earthly realm, they have the promise of eternal life in the hereafter.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV

God feels compassion for your pain and will strengthen and comfort you as you grieve your loss, setting an example of how you can do the same for others walking a similar path.

If this article has raised questions in your mind, or if you would like to make an appointment to meet with me or one of the other faith-based counselors in our online counselor directory, please give us a call. We would be happy to address your concerns and discuss how we can be of help to you.