Scripture for Loss: Using God’s Word to Find Comfort

Times of loss are painful and dark. Whether it’s hearing a new diagnosis or getting a call from the police, the pain of loss is difficult. Nothing makes it easier. There is no way to face loss without pain. The two are deeply intertwined like smoke and fire, where one is the other will be also.

All we can do is learn to process, heal, and move on from the pain. As Vicki Harrison writes, “Grief is like the ocean; it comes on waves ebbing and flowing. Sometimes the water is calm, and sometimes it is overwhelming. All we can do is learn to swim.”

While the pain of loss can’t be avoided, your community can make it better or worse. Unfortunately, many Christians will make it worse. It’s not uncommon to hear things like, “God needed another angel” or “Don’t cry, if they were here they wouldn’t want us to cry.” Comments like this, besides being theologically inaccurate, are also unhelpful at best.

At worst, they can actually be unintentional attempts to silence your emotions because they make other people feel uncomfortable. In moments of loss, the last thing you want to do is stop feeling your emotions.

The best thing your community can do is surround you with love, support, and encouragement while listening to your pain and giving you a safe place to mourn. There are lots of Bible verse for mourning. You need to experience the pain, walk through the loss, and come out on the other side with a deeper understanding of life.

There are quite a few Bible verses about loss. Since loss is an unavoidable and difficult part of life, much of Scripture discusses the depths and pain of the process. Below is a collection of verses to help you understand what the Bible has to say about loss.

Scripture for Loss

Bible Verses for Mourning

Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. – 2 Samuel 3:31

This first passage is important because it clearly establishes a biblical precedent for mourning. In fact, there are many bible verses about mourning just like this. It is a regular feature of Scripture that when someone dies the people will go into a time of mourning, represented by sackcloth and ashes.

Sometimes there were even professional mourners, or wailers, brought in to cry and lament the loss. This might seem weird, but it is all over Scripture. So if someone has told you to “move on” or God “doesn’t want you to be sad,” then point them to this verse where David calls for all the people to rip their clothes in mourning for the loss of their general. The Bible clearly understands human emotions and that as human beings we need to process the loss of our loved ones in order to move on.

God’s Heart for Our Pain

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

While the passage above describes an instance of mourning, this passage outlnies God’s heart for our pain. He isn’t looking down saying, “this is your fault” or “why are you crying.”

Instead, He weeps with us mourning our loss with us. He deeply loves us and cares about our pain. He cares enough to come alongside us to bandage our very wounds. You can take comfort in the tremendous heart of God.

God’s Promise to Give Us Strength

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous hand right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

In Isaiah 41:10, we can find great encouragement for times that feel overwhelming. When you feel like the pain of your loss is too much, remember that He is with you. The very God of the universe loves you and will give you strength.

He has never left or abandoned His people, and He won’t leave or abandon you. In this passage, He makes a promise to be with you and for you, giving you the strength to get through times of difficulty.

Ultimate Deliverance

God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. – Revelation 21:4

While the pain of loss can feel overwhelming and force us to question if there is any good left in the world, it is important to keep the larger story in perspective. We are meant to feel our emotions, but we can’t let them control us either.

This passage reminds us that ultimately God will abolish loss. It was not in His intended plan and definitely not created by His design. Here we see His heart and promise to restore the world to the way things were meant to be.

Bible Verses for the Loss of a Loved One

Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death. – Isaiah 57:2

Here is another Bible verse about loss and a promise for Christians in which you can find great solace. For followers of Jesus, walking uprightly before the Lord, there is no fear of death. While there may still be pain that comes with the loss of a loved one, much comfort can be found in the truth that there is more than this life.

It is important to not jump here to quickly. Don’t hide from your feelings behind the truth that someone was a Christian. But as you move forward and heal, be sure to take comfort in the promises of God for His people.

A Bible Verse to Provide Comfort in Times of Loss

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? – John 14:1-2

These are some of the final words of Jesus to His disciples before they experience tremendous loss, the loss of himself. Jesus gave them this encouragement before walking to the cross.

Even though He is about to go through excruciating pain, He takes time to comfort His disciples saying that what He is doing is ultimately for them. While they will feel pain and loss, He is going ahead of them, and all of us, so that in the end we can be freed from the ultimate loss, separation from God.

Conclusion

Loss is unavoidable and while that is a sobering truth, we are not powerless. We get to choose how we respond to loss. We can either hide from or suppress our feelings, or we can choose to enter mourning. There is a lot of Scripture for loss.

We see many Bible verses for mourning as people dawned sackcloth and ashes, setting the example for how we are to experience loss. We must face, experience, and process the pain so we can move forward.

While this pain may at times feel unbearable, we must remember God cares for us, promising to both give us strength and bandage our wounds. And, at the end of the day, God will make things right. We must hold onto the hope that, in time, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).