Bible Verses for the Loss of a Loved One
There is no right way to grieve, and no fast way. The Bible is tender with people in grief, never rushing them past it. Jesus Himself wept at a funeral He knew was going to end in resurrection. The crying was not a lack of faith. It was the mark of love. These verses are for the first days, the years later, the random Tuesday when it hits you again out of nowhere. Read them slowly. You are not alone in this.
6 Scriptures for the Loss of a Loved One
“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”
Psalm 34:18
Nigh means near. Not watching from above. Not waiting for you to get over it. Near. God is closer to you in your grief than He would be if you were not grieving. This verse does not make the loss smaller. It makes the nearness bigger.
Read the full chapter →“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4
Jesus calls mourners blessed. Not eventually comforted and therefore blessed. Blessed now, in the mourning. The comfort is promised. But the state of mourning is honored, not rushed past. You are not doing grief wrong by still being in it.
Read the full chapter →“Jesus wept.”
John 11:35
Two words, and they are enough. Jesus knew He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead in the next few minutes. He still wept. The tears were not doubt. They were love meeting loss. Whatever you hope for on the other side of this grief, the tears now are not a failure. They are the receipt for how much you loved them.
Read the full chapter →“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus shall God bring with him.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Paul does not say do not sorrow. He says do not sorrow as those who have no hope. Grieve, yes. But with a different shape than grief without resurrection. You are not saying goodbye forever. You are saying goodbye for now.
Read the full chapter →“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Paul calls God the God of all comfort. Not some comfort. All of it. And the comfort is designed to move through you to someone else someday. You are not going to be in this sharp place forever. What God is doing now in you will eventually be what you give to someone else standing where you are standing tonight.
Read the full chapter →“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Revelation 21:4
John sees the ending. God personally wiping the tears away. Not forgetting the loss. Healing it. Everything that grief has taken from you will one day be undone by the hand of the One who made your loved one in the first place.
Read the full chapter →A Prayer for the Loss of a Loved One
Lord, You know who I am missing tonight. You know what I would give to have one more conversation, one more hour, one more anything. Be nigh to my broken heart the way You promised. Hold the tears when I have them. Hold me when I am too tired to cry. Thank You that You are the God of all comfort, and that You will one day wipe the tears with Your own hand. Until then, walk with me. Amen.
More prayers →Let Scripture Sit With You
Press play. You do not have to do anything. Let the verses keep you company. Grief is long, and this is not asking you to be done with it. It is just sitting beside you for a while.
Browse all available books →