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In times of grief, God often seems distant and out of reach. But that’s more about what grief does to us than it is about God. The Bible promises a number of ways that God shows his care for us. These are promises we can cling to in times of loss.
God offers the peace of his presence
Hebrews 13:5-6 For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me.”
In times of grief, we are not abandoned – even though we feel very alone. This is a truth to cling to as your feelings go up and down. God is never going to let go of you, no matter what you’re going through.
But Jesus pointed out an eternal aspect to this same promise.
John 14:1-3 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If these were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, i will come and get you, so that you will always be where I am.”
The fact is that Jesus wants us to be with him forever. For Christians, a relationship with Jesus starts in this life and extends throughout eternity. The separation from God that is caused by our sin is completely reversed. So God is present with us in our troubles now, and Jesus promises to be present with his people forever.
God offers comfort in present sorrows.
The apostle Paul went through some very difficult trials. At one time, he thought he was going to die himself.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5 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. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.
This reminds us that God is merciful. As such, he is the source of our comfort when things are tough. Verse 5 says that God’s comfort is proportional to our need. The more we suffer, the more we will experience his comfort. No suffering is ever too great for his comfort. The Bible also reminds us not only of God’s abundant mercy for us, but says that God can use our grief to prepare us to share his comfort with others who might go through grief in the future themselves.
God offers confidence in every kind of trial
Romans 8:35-38 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?…. No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.
Nothing in all creation has the power to separate you from Christ’s love. That includes trouble or calamity of any kind. The loss of people we love cannot separate us from the love of Christ. Verse 38 says that death does not have the power to separate us from God’s love. Today’s fears – such fears often arise in times of loss – cannot do it. Worries about tomorrow – what will I do? how will I make it without him or her – cannot drive a wedge between us and God. What a great source of confidence!
God offers the hope of a better world
Revelation 21:1-5 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! he will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be nomore death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
Thankfully, this world is not all there is. For those who belong to God, death is not the end. Notice how many times in these verses you see the word “new”. In verse 5, God says, “I am making everything new!” You can see what this new world will be like: it will be a place of great beauty and perfection. But most wonderfully, God will be present forever.
When you’re grieving, verse 4 is a wonderful promise: there will be no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, crying, or pain. All of the grief and woes of this world will be gone forever.
If you are a Christian, grab hold of these promises, knowing that even if your grip is weak, God has a hold of you.
If you don’t know where you stand with God, you can. You can have the confidence expressed in these verses. It starts with trusting Jesus: entrusting your life and your eternity to him, entirely to him, and to him alone.
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Does God seem nearer or more distant to you when you’re in tough times?
- Read Hebrews 13:5-6. What are some things people fear in times of grief? How does this promise address fear?
- Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. What do you think of when you hear the word “comfort”? What are some ways that God comforts us in our troubles?
- Read Romans 8:35-38. What kind of things do grieving people worry about for the future? How do these verses address those worries?
- Read Revelation 21:1-7. How often do you see the word “new”? What sort of things are “new” in this passage?
- How might the new world described in Revelation 21 meet some of your own deepest longings?
- In all of these passages, what brings you the most comfort or hope?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
