Bible verses for when you're grieving

All 10 verses for when you're grieving

The verse above rotates daily. Here is the whole set, each with its prayer.

1. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

   Psalms 34:18 · KJV

   God, this loss has broken something in me. Thank you for staying close to broken hearts instead of far from them. I don't need to perform okay right now. Just be near while this hurts. Amen.

2. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”

   Matthew 5:4 · KJV

   God, I don't feel blessed right now, I feel gutted. But I'm holding onto the promise that mourning isn't the end of the sentence. Comfort doesn't have to come fast to be real. Just let it come. Amen.

3. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”

   Psalms 147:3 · KJV

   God, some wounds don't close on their own. Thank you for being a God who binds them up instead of just watching. I don't need this healed today. Just don't let it get worse. Amen.

4. “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 · KJV

   God, this future feels far away right now, but I need it to be true. A day with no more tears is hard to imagine from here. Hold that promise for me until I can hold it myself. Thank you for not leaving grief as the last word. Amen.

5. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;”

   Isaiah 61:1 · KJV

   God, I feel bound up by this loss some days. Thank you for sending someone whose whole purpose was to bind up hearts like mine. I don't need freedom from missing them. Just freedom from being crushed by it. Amen.

6. “For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”

   Psalms 30:5 · KJV

   God, this feels like a very long night. I'm not asking you to rush the morning. Just remind me it's still coming. Stay up with me until it does. Amen.

7. “Jesus wept.”

   John 11:35 · KJV

   God, thank you for Jesus, who cried at a grave he was about to empty minutes later. That tells me grief isn't a lack of faith. Let me cry the way he did, without feeling like I'm doing this wrong. Thank you for a savior who wept too. Amen.

8. “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;”

   2 Corinthians 1:3 · KJV

   God, I need to be comforted, not fixed, today. Thank you for being the Father of Jesus Christ, and the God of all comfort because of him. Meet me in the specific shape of this grief. I don't need general comfort, I need yours. Amen.

9. “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

   Isaiah 43:2 · KJV

   God, I feel like I'm underwater some days with this. Thank you for promising to go through it with me, not just point to the other side. Don't let this loss be the thing that overtakes me. Stay in the water with me. Amen.

10. “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”

    Psalms 73:26 · KJV

    God, my heart feels like it's failing under this weight. Thank you for being its strength when it can't hold itself up. I don't have to be strong today. Just be strong for me. Amen.

More on this: Grief and loss.