The Bible does not downplay the fact that there is a great deal of suffering and sadness in the world. Death and suffering became a part of God’s beautiful creation when humanity committed its first transgression against him. Every day we have to deal with the fallout.
However, the Bible says more on this subject, including how God will eventually build a new earth where grief and sorrow are no longer present and how it is possible to rejoice in the midst of pain. For you, we have gathered ten quotations [1].
1. Psalm 31:9-10
We are not immune to sadness just because we are [God’s children]. Nonetheless, we are aware that God is our all-powerful, perfectly good Father, and we can call out to Him in our anguish, just as David did:
“Lord, have mercy on me; I am in pain; my body and spirit are both wrung dry by sorrow. Because of my transgressions, I am filled with sadness and years of lamentation; my bones are wasting away and my strength wanes.
2. Psalm 88:9
“My sorrow causes my eye to grow dim.” I extend my hands to You, O Lord, and I call upon You every day.
We can be sure that God hears our cries!
3. Lamentations 3:31-33
The Lord punishes us by grieving over us occasionally. However, He only does this out of love for us.
“Because the Lord does not afflict or grieve the children of men from His heart, He will not cast off forever; rather, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love.”
4. 2 Corinthians 7:10
Grief can occasionally be a blessing if it points us toward God:
“While worldly grief results in death, godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret.”
5. Psalm 32:10
Even if God’s children do go through grief, God’s love is always there to comfort them. Those who deny Him will find this to be extremely different!
“The wicked suffer much, but he who trusts in the Lord is surrounded by steadfast love.”
6. Isaiah 53:3-4
The future Messiah, who will share our sorrows, is described by the prophet Isaiah as follows:
As someone from whom people hide their faces, He was hated and rejected by others, and we did not respect Him. He was a Man of Sorrows and Known with Grief. He has undoubtedly endured our pains and suffered our losses, but we still revered Him while He was ill, struck by God, and tortured.
7. Matthew 26:38-39
It becomes evident from the Gospels that Jesus Christ is this prophesied Messiah. Matthew documents His agonizing suffering for us:
“After that, He said to them, “Remain here and wait with Me; my soul is terribly miserable, even to death. Moving a bit further, He collapsed onto His face and prayed, “My Father, please take this cup away from me; but not in the way that I would have it, but in the way that You would have it.”
Jesus endured all of our suffering until the very end, when He said, “It is finished,” lowered His head, and passed away.
8. John 16:20-22
Jesus doesn’t downplay the notion that His followers will experience grief while they are here on Earth, particularly as He prepares to leave. However, this sadness will give way to endless joy!
I swear to you that while the world will rejoice, you will mourn and grieve. You will experience sadness, but your sadness will give way to delight. When a woman gives birth, she feels sad because her time has come, but when the baby is delivered, she is overjoyed that a human has entered the world and forgets the agony. You too are grieving right now, but when I meet you again, your hearts will be filled with joy, and nobody will be able to steal it away from you.
9. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Grieving the loss of a loved one is healthy since death is terrible. The final adversary to be vanquished is it (1 Corinthians 15:26). The good news is that we’re going to crush this adversary! Consequently:
You might not be as sad as others who have given up on life. God will bring those who have fallen asleep with him because we believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead.
– that is, those who have died before Jesus returns.
10. Revelation 21:3-4
The Bible’s last book offers us a peek of the happy, sorrow-free future that God has in store for His children!
And from the throne, I heard a loud voice proclaiming, “Behold, God has made man his dwelling place.” They will be His people, and God himself will live among them as their God. He will dwell among them. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death and grief and agony will also cease to exist because the former things have passed away.
Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version (ESV®) of the Holy Bible. Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, has the copyright © 2001 for this edition of the Bible. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
