To me, grief feels like a blanket of fog.

Everything is dark. My senses feel muted. Other people seem far away, and I even struggle to pray. Looking to the future with hope feels impossible.

We can’t escape grief—it’s part of our common human experience in a broken world. We see this truth reflected in Scripture. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, people express sorrow by weeping, lamenting to God, and even tearing their clothes or putting on sackcloth and ashes as a public sign of their grief. We even see Jesus grieve the death of Lazarus (John 11:35) and feel overwhelmed by sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:38).

While we all will experience grief, God’s Word tells us that it is possible to grieve with hope. No matter what we’re experiencing or feeling, we can know that God promises to be with us in our sorrow. Even more amazing, God has made a way for us to find eternal hope for the future in Jesus Christ. Because of this truth, we can find comfort and encouragement in the Bible’s promises to us—even in the deepest stages of our grief.

Here are five Bible verses that can encourage your heart through sorrow.

God promises to be near to you when you are grieving.

The LORD is near to those who are discouraged;
he saves those who have lost all hope.

Psalm 34:18 (GNT)

God invites you to honestly express your grief to him through prayer and lament.

Be merciful to me, LORD,
for I am in trouble;
my eyes are tired from so much crying;
I am completely worn out.
I am exhausted by sorrow,
and weeping has shortened my life.
I am weak from all my troubles;
even my bones are wasting away.

Psalm 31:9-10 (GNT)

God heals hearts broken by grief and sorrow.

He heals the broken-hearted
and bandages their wounds.

Psalm 147:3 (GNT)

God uses even our deepest grief for good.

We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 (GNT)

God promises that grief will someday end.

“He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.”

Revelation 21:4 (GNT)

Download free, Bible-based trauma healing resources to help yourself and others process grief, suffering, and trauma in the light of God’s eternal love: TraumaHealingBasics.org.