Study by topic
Bible verses for grief and loss
The Bible gives room for tears as well as hope. These readings include Jesus with a grieving family, a psalm about God’s nearness, and promises grounded in resurrection and life with God. Read at a gentle pace. The aim is to attend to what the passages say, not to set a timetable for someone’s grief.
01 · John 11:17–44
Jesus meets a grieving family
Read Jesus’ conversations with Martha and Mary, his tears, and the raising of Lazarus together. The account reveals his compassion and authority over death; it does not promise that every bereavement will be reversed in the same way now.
Read the passage and commentary: John 11:17–4402 · Psalm 34:15–22
God’s nearness to the brokenhearted
The psalm describes God hearing the righteous and being near to the brokenhearted. Notice that it also acknowledges many afflictions. Its comfort rests on God’s care rather than a claim that faithful people never suffer.
Read the passage and commentary: Psalm 34:15–2203 · 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
Grief held together with resurrection hope
Paul addresses believers worried about those who have died in Christ. Follow his reasoning from Jesus’ death and resurrection to their future with the Lord, and notice the instruction to encourage one another.
Read the passage and commentary: 1 Thessalonians 4:13–1804 · Revelation 21:1–5
The promised end of mourning
John’s vision joins the end of death and tears with God dwelling among his people. Read these words as a future promise that sustains hope, while allowing present loss to be acknowledged honestly.
Read the passage and commentary: Revelation 21:1–5Reflect and apply
Study question
How do these passages speak about sorrow without treating it as the absence of faith, and what grounds do they give for hope?
Reading this week
Choose one passage to read slowly this week. You might write a prayer of lament, remember someone you have lost, or offer quiet company to a grieving person without trying to explain away the loss.