Sorrow is a natural human emotion that we all experience at some point in our lives. Loss, grief, disappointment, and tragedy are inevitable parts of the human condition. When we experience deep sorrow, it can feel overwhelming and isolating. We may wonder why a good God allows pain and suffering. The Bible offers comfort, wisdom, and hope to those experiencing sorrow. Here are some key Bible verses about sorrow:
Psalms
The Book of Psalms is filled with verses expressing lament, grief, and sorrow, as well as hope in God’s deliverance. Some key Psalms about sorrow include:
- Psalm 6:6-7 – “I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping. My eye wastes away because of grief; it grows weak because of all my foes.”
- 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!”
- Psalm 137:1-4 – “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?”
These psalms express the deep sorrow the psalmists experienced, yet ultimately put their hope and trust in God for deliverance and restoration.
Job
The Book of Job tells the story of a righteous man who undergoes intense suffering and sorrow. Job grapples with the meaning and purpose of suffering. Some key verses include:
- Job 7:11 – “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.”
- Job 10:1 – “I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.”
- Job 16:16 – “My face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is deep darkness.”
- Job 16:20 – “My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God.”
Job expresses the depth of his sorrow and pain, but ultimately acknowledges God’s sovereignty over his circumstances.
Lamentations
The Book of Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah as an expression of grief over the destruction of Jerusalem. It vividly captures the sorrow of God’s people over this catastrophe. Key verses include:
- Lamentations 1:16 – “For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my spirit; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed.”
- Lamentations 2:11 – “My eyes are spent with weeping; my stomach churns; my bile is poured out to the ground because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babies faint in the streets of the city.”
- Lamentations 3:48 – “my eyes flow with rivers of tears because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
Lamentations vividly expresses the sorrow of God’s people over Jerusalem’s ruin, but also includes words of hope and trust in God’s faithfulness (Lam 3:22-24).
Jesus Overcoming Sorrow
The Gospels portray Jesus as the “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3), who was acquainted with deepest grief. Yet Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection ultimately overcame sin, death and sorrow. Some key verses include:
- Matthew 26:38 – “Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”” (Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane)
- Luke 19:41 – “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it.” (Jesus weeping over Jerusalem)
- John 11:35 – “Jesus wept.” (At the tomb of Lazarus)
- 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.” (Jesus promising coming joy)
- John 16:33 – “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (Jesus’ overcoming tribulation)
- 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.” (God promising to wipe away every tear)
While Jesus experienced the depths of sorrow in his life and death, his resurrection provides eternal hope and joy for those who put their faith in him.
Words of Comfort and Hope
In the midst of sorrow, Scripture provides powerful words of comfort, hope, and peace. God promises to be with us in our grief and sorrow. Some key verses of comfort include:
- Psalm 34:18 – “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
- Psalm 73:26 – “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
- Isaiah 53:4 – “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.”
- Matthew 5:4 – “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
- 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.”
- 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.”
In our deepest grief, God promises to be near to us and provide comfort, strength and hope. His ultimate promise is to one day wipe away every tear.
Finding Meaning in Sorrow
The Bible teaches that God can use suffering and sorrow to produce perseverance, character, hope, wisdom, and greater dependence on Him. While sorrow is painful, it is not meaningless. Some key verses include:
- 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.”
- Hebrews 5:8 – “Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” (Referring to Jesus)
- Psalm 119:71 – “It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”
As painful as sorrow can be, God promises to use it to refine our character, strengthen our hope, and remind us of our dependence on Him.
Sorrow and the Promises of Eternity
The Bible teaches that the sorrows of this present world are only temporary. One day God will usher in a new creation where sorrow, crying and pain will be no more. Believers who grieve now can find hope in the promise of eternity with God. Key verses include:
- 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.”
- 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.”
- 1 Peter 1:6-7 – “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.”
Our present sufferings are momentary compared to the eternal glory and joy that awaits all believers in Heaven. This hope can sustain us in even the deepest sorrows.
In times of grief, mourning, and sorrow, God invites us to honestly pour out our hearts to Him and find comfort, peace, and hope through His word. The Bible reassures us that God is always near to the brokenhearted. He promises to walk with us through our darkest valleys and one day wipe away every tear. We can cling to the hope of eternity where sorrow will be no more.