What kind of loss are you suffering from today? Bible verses about loss can help you seek hope and healing from the losses that you are facing. Losses can take different forms, and you may be facing more than one at a time. When losses affect you, you can find comfort in the Bible. Scriptures on loss will lift you up no matter how severe and a loss you might be handling.
Your loss may be connected to a death of a loved one or pet. You may have a current loss connected to a transition, such as moving, divorcing, or experiencing the empty nest. Other losses may be harming you, such as suffering from a bad breakup, losing a friend, we’re getting laid off from your job. The Bible has comfort for you in each of these losses.
What does the Bible say about loss?
There are all kinds of examples of loss in the Bible. Job suffered a series of devastating losses, including the death of his children and flocks as well as the loss of his health. Several women experience the loss and pain of infertility, including Sarah, Rebekah, and Hannah. David experienced the loss of four of his children and his best friend Jonathan. Even Jesus did not escape loss; all of his friends deserted him in his greatest time of need.
The reason the Bible contains these examples is to give us comfort and affirmation in our losses. It never undermines our pain but affirms it through many examples. Every one of our losses matters to God, no matter how small they may appear to others. When we study scriptures on loss, God offers us encouragement and hope.
Bible verses about loss.
Let’s look at several Bible verses about loss and learn how we can draw hope from them.
A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. – Ecclesiastes 3:4, NIV
Since we live in a broken world, each one of us will experience loss. In his great sovereignty, God designates the time of loss that we will suffer. Before you saw your last coming God saw it, and now he is weeping beside you. This verse tells us there is a chosen time to weep and a chosen time to mourn.
Weeping and mourning are essential for us to get past the pain of loss. We will only suffer longer if we deny our pain or delay our grief. But God will walk through the season of loss right beside us. When we get to the other side, we will laugh and dance with him.
For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. – Isaiah 49:13, NIV
You need comfort to get well after experiencing loss. It can be tempting to find comfort in the wrong things when you experience a loss. Food, television, social media, shopping, alcohol, drugs, unhealthy relationships, and many other things may give you temporary relief. But this type of comfort never lasts and can cause additional pain and guilt.
However, the Lord himself offers us everlasting comfort. Since he is mighty to save and all-powerful, he will comfort you better than anyone or anything else can do. While you rest in his presence, you will feel his compassion and comfort. When you were experiencing loss, draw close to Him in prayer and meditate on this scripture to find the comfort that you’re seeking.
As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem. – Isaiah 66:13, NIV
Little children often do not stop crying unless they are safe and secure in their mother’s arms. They will calm down immediately when they feel comforted and secure by their mothers. We hope that you experienced a loving relationship with a parent, relative, or guardian when you were young.
Maybe you have offered comfort as a parent yourself or you have watched others offer it tenderly. As you suffer loss, God wants to offer you tender and loving comfort in the same way that a mother comforts her child. He will hold you close and let you cry out your feelings while he offers you the security that you need.
You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. – Jeremiah 8:18, NIV
If your heart feels faint with the loss, you may have trouble getting through a single day, much less a week or month, without a sense of being overwhelmed. You can turn to the Scriptures to find new comfort. You don’t have to do anything to earn this comfort; just turn to it and receive it like a warm blanket wrapped around you.
God is holding his comfort out to you now in love. His comfort makes us feel stronger because he offers us his mighty strength when we feel weak and faint. He will help you face each moment ahead with greater comfort and strength.
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. – John 14:16-17, NIV
The Holy Spirit lives in the heart of every believer. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit will be a comfort to us. He also intercedes for us in prayer and helps us in our struggles. The Holy Spirit continually guides us and leads us. if you believe in God the Holy Spirit is already living inside you.
He will remind you of what you have learned in the Bible and speak to you in many ways, including through the Bible, church, books, podcasts, Christian friends, and your counselor. You can ask the Holy Spirit to help you find comfort every day.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:23, NIV
Even if you only have a tiny glimmer of hope in your heart right now, God can use it. That hope is like an anchor in a storm. If you hold fast to it, God will show you how he is faithful to you. He will not let you drown in your losses or drift away in sorrow. He has his eye on you every minute, never leaving you nor forsaking you in your loss. Your faith will grow as you cling to your hope in his promises.
Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. – Psalm 31:24, NIV
We need courage to face our losses and reach out to others for help. In these Bible verses on loss, we learned that God will strengthen us as we take courage and put our hope in him. this is similar to training with weights. While weight training, your muscles will become stronger only when they are pushed past their limit.
The muscle fibers will break down during a hard workout, but grow stronger when they weave back together after a workout. Courage is a weight to strengthen us. The more you practice courage, the more God will strengthen you.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NIV
The Bible tells us that our losses aren’t wasted; instead, they can be used to comfort others down the road. As you start to heal from your loss, God will send you others who need the comfort that you received in the troubles you faced. All the steps you take in healing now will give you purpose and strength for the future.
Christian counseling for loss.
It’s common to get stuck in a loss and need outside help to keep moving forward. You can study and meditate upon these Bible verses on loss, but don’t hesitate to ask for more help from a qualified Christian counselor. A counselor can help you unpack everything related to your loss so that you can fully heal from all the hurt you’ve experienced. Please contact us today to learn how Christian counseling for loss can help you.
“His Mercies Never End”, Courtesy of Miriam G, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Dried Plant”, Courtesy of Sixteen Miles Out, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Come to me…”, Courtesy of Miriam G, Unsplash.com, CC0 License; “Bible and Journal”, Courtesy of Carolyn V, Unsplash.com, CC0 License