Sadness is a universal human emotion that we all experience at times in life. Even people of great faith in the Bible struggled with feelings of sadness, despair and depression. Thankfully, God’s Word contains many passages that can encourage and strengthen those going through seasons of sadness. Here are some key Bible verses about sadness to meditate on:
Psalms in times of sorrow
The Book of Psalms contains numerous cries to God in times of sorrow and sadness. David and other psalmists pour out their hearts to God, asking for comfort, strength and hope when overwhelmed with sadness. Examples include:
- Psalm 13:2 – “How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?”
- Psalm 31:9-10 – “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief; my soul and my body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.”
- Psalm 69:29 – “But I am afflicted and in pain; let your salvation, O God, set me on high!”
- Psalm 119:28 – “My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!”
Pouring out our hearts to God through prayer and Scripture is vital when sadness overwhelms us. The writers of the Psalms modeled raw, honest prayers in hard times that God welcomes.
God understands our grief
A beautiful truth about God is that He understands what we are going through in seasons of sadness. He promises to be near to the brokenhearted and save the crushed in spirit:
- Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
- Psalm 146:3 – “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!”
- Isaiah 53:3 – “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Jesus Himself was “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He understands what sadness and loss feels like. We can come to Him as a compassionate high priest when we struggle.
God comforts us in our sorrow
One of the primary ways God helps us in sadness is through His abiding comfort and peace if we trust in Him. He is called the “God of all comfort”:
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
- Psalm 119:76 – “Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.”
- John 14:1 – “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.”
- John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
The Holy Spirit is also called our Comforter who will help us in times of grief and sadness (John 14:16, 26).
Hope and joy come after grief
An amazing theme in Scripture is that seasons of grief and sadness do not last forever for followers of Christ. Weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning:
- Psalm 30:5 – “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
- John 16:20 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.”
- Isaiah 61:1-3 – “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.”
This hope of joy coming after sadness is grounded in Jesus’ victory over sin and death on the cross. One day all sadness, pain and death will cease for eternity.
Turning to Scripture in grief
The Bible encourages us to fix our eyes on God’s Word and truth during times of grief instead of dwelling on our circumstances:
- Psalm 119:25 – “My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!”
- Psalm 119:92 – “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction.”
- Psalm 119:50 – “This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.”
- Romans 15:4 – “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Reading Scripture helps reorient our mind to God’s truth and gives us strength to endure.
God works through grief for our good
A remarkable promise in the Bible is that God uses even periods of grief and sadness to produce deeper character and hope in those who love Him:
- Romans 5:3-5 – “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
- James 1:2-4 – “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
- 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 – “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
With God’s help, seasons of sadness can develop perseverance, character and hope in us.
Our eternal hope and joy in Christ
Ultimately believers in Jesus Christ have an eternal hope and joy to look forward to that far outweighs any sadness now. We are promised resurrection to new life without pain, suffering, grief or tears:
- Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
- Psalm 16:11 – “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
- 1 Peter 1:3-9 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
This eternal perspective helps us endure sadness now because we know it will not last forever. Our hope is fixed on eternity with Christ.
We are called to comfort others
One remarkable way God uses seasons of grief for good is that it equips us to comfort others going through the same struggles:
- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
- Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
God sometimes allows sadness in our lives so that we can better empathize with and comfort others going through similar trials.
Practical ways to deal with grief
Along with trusting in God’s Word, there are practical things we can do that help get through seasons of grief and sadness:
- Spend time with others who have experienced similar losses (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
- Express your emotions honestly to God and trusted friends (Psalm 42:5)
- Try to maintain basic healthy routines – eating, sleeping, exercise (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
- Find ways to memorialize/honor lost loved ones
- Serve others going through the same grief (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
- Seek professional counseling or medical treatment if needed
God often works through practical means like Christian community, counseling, and medical treatment to help us through times of grief.
In closing
Seasons of sadness are an inevitable part of life in our fallen world. But we have an amazing hope and comfort in Christ our Savior who promises to be near to us in grief. He will one day wipe away every tear and make all things new. Until that glorious day, we can find strength in God’s Word and His people to help sustain us through times of sorrow. The Lord uses even our grief for good to develop Christlike character in us and equip us to minister to others. May we run to the God of all comfort in our times of need.