You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book. – Psalm 56:8 NLT
Have you or someone you know recently lost a loved one? Have you experienced a traumatic event that has left you anxious and struggling with feelings of loss? God can help you find comfort and hope no matter how deep your pain and grief are. Psalm 73:26 says, “My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever” (NLT).
If you are going through the journey of grief, you may be experiencing any one of the following stages:
1. Shock and denial. You refuse to believe loss has occurred; it feels like a bad dream.
2. Intense reactions. You have no energy for daily tasks and feel anxious about life. You’re more irritable than normal and you experience wide-ranging mood swings.
3. Despair or depression. You feel angry or utterly disinterested in your life. You notice a loss of vital energy in your daily schedule.
4. Recovery. You eventually begin to feel new normalcy and a renewed passion for life.
Is there a timeline for this intense pain and grief?
It would be so much easier if there was, wouldn’t it? But unfortunately, grief is often much messier than that. It’s a deeply personal journey, and no two people ever have the same experience.
But be reassured that healing will come in God’s timing. In the meantime, God longs to comfort you in your grief journey for as long as it lasts. When you bring all your pain, sadness, confusion, or anger to Him, He is able to give you comfort, as 2 Corinthians 1 reminds us: “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others” (1:3-4a NLT).
Turning to the Bible for comfort and strength will help during a season of grief. God is our ultimate comforter and our source of hope in trials. We can lean into His peace and grace daily through His Word.
Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble” (NLT).
Below are some Scriptures to help you know what God says about grief. If you want prayer or to talk about your grief, feel free to call the pastoral care team at 800-525-5683.
Grief Resource:
Griefshare, A Christ-centered ministry with resources and support groups all over the nation to help people walk through the grief of losing a loved one.
Additional Scriptures:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed. – Psalm 34:18 NLT
The Lord cares deeply when His loved ones die. – Psalm 116:15 NLT
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this down: Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them! – Revelation 14:13 NLT
So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT
“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” – Matthew 5:4 NLT
