17 Encouraging Verses for Seasons of Grief
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When you think about life, it is really about seasons. I could try to wax poetic about this, but Solomon wrote it best in Ecclesiastes.
“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”
As you go through life, inevitably you are going to have a time when you face grief. While grief may be most often associated with the death of a loved one, there are other reasons that can cause you to grieve. Among them are divorce, facing a serious illness whether yours or someone you love, losing a job, facing financial insecurity, moving away from friends and family, or even making the change from working to retiring. All of these can produce grief in us.
Since we are all going to face grief in this life, the question is when grief comes, where do you go for comfort? Thankfully God knew you would experience grief in this life, and he has provided numerous Scriptures for grief which are able to comfort you as you walk through the challenges of this life. I don’t know what situation you are facing, but I pray you would find hope and comfort from the truth of God’s word. You should rejoice to know that you have a God who not only feels what you feel, but is able to walk with you through it all.
17 Scriptures for Grief
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16).
The reason I mention this as the first Scripture for grief is to remind you that we have a Savior who feels everything you feel, because he experienced grief in this life. For this reason, you can come to him with every feeling of grief you have because he wants to help you with it.
Scriptures for Grief When You Are Broken-Hearted
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
The righteous person may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all”
“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)
“Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever”
Scriptures for Grief over Death
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die’” (John 11:25).
“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” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).
Scriptures for Grief over Trials and Hardships
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).
“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” (Romans 8:38-39).
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
Scriptures for Grief over Sickness
“Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3).
“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).
“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).
Scriptures for Grief in Financial Difficulty
“Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, ‘I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!’” (Hebrews 13:5, AMP).
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:31-34).
Scriptures for Grief if You Are Moving Away, Retiring, or Making a Change in Life
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
“But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior’”
(Isaiah 43:1-3a).
Scripture for Grief That Covers It All
“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).
I pray you will find comfort in these verses, and most of all I pray you would allow the truth in them to sink deep into your heart and rejoice knowing God will not desert you in your time of grief.
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10 Prayers for Grief and the Heart Heavy with Loss
What Should I Say to Someone Who Is Grieving?
How to Use Scripture to Encourage Grieving Kids
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