Anchored Amidst Loss: Bible Verses About Grief

Loss changes things irrevocably in your life. You may have gone through a divorce or lost a loved one suddenly. Your loss may be in the form of relinquishing a treasured dream, the death of a pet, or when you move house and must leave behind cherished memories and your entire network of friends and family. All of these things cause grief.

While loss comes in different shapes and sizes, and each individual processes that loss in a unique way, grief comes to us all, and we must reckon with it. Giving yourself room to grieve is essential so you can process the loss and find a way to go on. Grief will always make itself known, and your unprocessed grief will disrupt your life in often unexpected ways.

For the believer, leaning on God during times of grief is a must, as it is in any other season in life. One of the stages of grief is anger, and your anger may be directed at God. You may be angry at Him for not coming through for you, for letting a loved one die, or for an opportunity lost.

Know that it’s okay to let God know your thoughts and emotions. There is an entire genre of literature in the Bible called lament that does exactly that. Take those frustrations to God, and rather than turning away from Him, turn to Him to voice your complaints.

Bible Verses About Grief

Many Bible verses deal with grief and loss. Below are a few Bible verses about grief that may help you as you grieve.

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

God not only sees your wounds and your broken heart, but He moves toward you to heal and bind up your wounds. God is not far from you, and He desires to be your comfort and peace.

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:19-26, NIV

When devastation comes our way, we can cling to anything other than God not only to try and make sense of what happened but also to assuage our grief. The writer of Lamentations, who had just experienced the destruction of his city, continues to treasure God as his ‘portion’, recognizing that what was true of God before the disaster continues to be true even now.

God is still good, and His compassions never fail. Tragedy often feels and seems senseless, and the despair it leaves us in seems unrelenting. The writer of Lamentations chooses to continue trusting in God and waiting on God. You can too.

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, NIV

Jesus defeated death, something that seems final to us. We entrust our loved ones in God’s hands, knowing that God, who is the judge of the whole earth, will do what is right (Genesis 18:25). We also rest in the understanding that those who trusted in Jesus will be raised to new, resurrected life, just as Jesus was raised to life after His crucifixion.

All this does not mean that you should not grieve. However, it can change how you grieve because there is hope of resurrection after death. Even though Jesus knew that He was going to raise His friend Lazarus from death, He still wept (John 11:35). That’s because death is an enemy, and it ravages God’s good world. It is right to weep, but thanks be to God that through Jesus you can grieve with hope.

Working Through the Grieving Process

Each person goes through grief in their own way, but that doesn’t mean you should grieve alone. Talk with friends or a loved one about what you’re going through. There are support groups where people can come alongside one another in their journey.

In group or individual counseling, you can explore your grief and begin the journey toward living life with a renewed sense of purpose. A Christian counselor in Vancouver can help you connect with God, understand how to think of death constructively, and become aware of the resources you have in Jesus to begin healing.

If you’re looking for additional support beyond these Bible verses about grief, a grief counselor at Vancouver Christian Counseling can help you work through your feelings about your loss, providing a safe space for you to share your experiences as you learn how to cope and reclaim your joy. Don’t grieve alone. Seek help to journey with someone who can help you continue holding onto the light in this dark season. The counselors at Vancouver Christian Counseling are here for you. Reach out today.