Scripture and Prayers for Grief: What the Bible Says to People Who Mourn

Bible passages for grief read in their setting, the sayings that are not in the Bible, prayers for those who mourn, and how to sit with someone who is grieving

By the editors of Weekday GraceReviewed October 2026No ads, no sign-up

Grief is not a failure of faith. The Bible is full of people who mourned: Abraham weeping for Sarah, David for his son, Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, and Jesus himself at the grave of his friend. It gives grieving people words to pray, permission to complain, and a hope that does not ask them to stop crying.

This page gathers the passages Christians have turned to in loss, each read in its setting so that it says what it actually says. It also covers the well-meant sayings that are not in the Bible at all, a handful of traditional prayers, what the church reads at funerals, and how to be a good friend to someone who is grieving. Every Bible quotation is from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain, so you can copy anything here into a card, a bulletin or a funeral program.

Grief is not a lack of faith

Jesus wept.

John 11:35 (WEB)

When Jesus came to Bethany, his friend Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus knew what he was about to do; a few minutes later he called Lazarus out of the tomb. He wept anyway. The Gospel does not treat his tears as a lapse, and the people standing by took them as love: “See how much affection he had for him!” (John 11:36).

The Bible’s prayer book makes the same point. Dozens of psalms are laments: prayers that complain, question and plead. They were written to be sung together, which means grief was something God’s people brought into worship, not something they hid from it. If you are angry, or numb, or tired of hearing that everything will be fine, the psalms have been there before you.

Paul’s best-known words on grief are often quoted as if they said “don’t grieve.” They say something else: “so that you don’t grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Christians grieve. They grieve with hope.

Bible passages for grief, read in context

These are the passages Christians reach for most often in loss. Each one is printed with a short note on its setting, because a verse lifted out of its chapter can comfort less, or promise more, than it means. They are grouped by what you may need most today.

When you need words for the pain

When you need to know you are not alone

When you need hope

Comforting sayings that are not in the Bible

People say these things out of love, and some carry a grain of truth. But they are not Bible verses, and some of them can make grief heavier. If you are grieving and one of them has stung, it is fair to set it down.

The Book of Job is the Bible’s long warning about well-meant explanations. We wrote about it in what Job’s friends got right, and where they went wrong.

Prayers for those who mourn

When you cannot find words, the church’s old prayers can carry you. These come from the Book of Common Prayer (1979), which is in the public domain, and from the Catholic tradition. Each was checked word for word against the source named beneath it. You can pray them alone or aloud with others, and you can put a name where the “N.” appears.

For those who mournBook of Common Prayer (Anglican)

1. Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of all comfort: Deal graciously, we pray thee, with all those who mourn, that casting every care on thee, they may know the consolation of thy love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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From the Burial of the Dead, Rite One. A prayer any Christian can pray, for yourself or for someone else.

Text: The Book of Common Prayer (1979), Burial of the Dead: Rite One (public domain).

For a grieving familyBook of Common Prayer (Anglican)

1. Most merciful God, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding: Deal graciously with NN. in their grief. Surround them with your love, that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness, and strength to meet the days to come; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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From the Burial of the Dead, Rite Two. “NN.” is where you say the names of the people who are grieving.

Text: The Book of Common Prayer (1979), Burial of the Dead: Rite Two (public domain).

For the days that remainBook of Common Prayer (Anglican)

1. O God, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered: Make us, we beseech thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of life; and let thy Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days.

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The opening of a longer prayer from the Burial of the Dead, Rite One, for the people left behind.

Text: The Book of Common Prayer (1979), Burial of the Dead: Rite One (public domain).

The commendationBook of Common Prayer (Anglican)

1. Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant N. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

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Said at the bedside in the Ministration at the Time of Death, and again near the end of the burial service. “N.” is where the person’s name is said.

Text: The Book of Common Prayer (1979), Ministration at the Time of Death (public domain).

Eternal restCatholic (also Orthodox and many Anglicans)

1. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

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From the Latin Requiem. Catholics pray it for the departed, especially in November, the month of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

Text: Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2005), Appendix A.

Christians differ about praying for the dead. Catholic and Orthodox Christians, and many Anglicans, pray for the departed as part of the one fellowship of the church, living and dead. Most Protestants do not, holding that the dead are already in God’s hands, and they pray instead for the people who mourn. Orthodox Christians end their memorial prayers with the words “Memory eternal!”, asking God to remember the person forever. Every tradition prays for the grieving, and the first two prayers above belong to all of them.

For the full texts of the Lord’s Prayer and other classic prayers, see our page of traditional Christian prayers. For ways to pray when prayer itself is hard, see how to pray.

How to be with someone who is grieving

When Job lost his children and his health, three friends came to comfort him. They did one thing exactly right: “they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great” (Job 2:13). Their trouble began when they started explaining.

• Show up and stay. Presence matters more than the right words. “Weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).
• Say the person’s name. Many grieving people say the silence hurts more than any clumsy sentence.
• Skip the explanations. “I’m so sorry” and “I’m praying for you” are enough. See the sayings above.
• Offer something specific. A meal on Thursday, a ride, mowing the lawn. “Let me know if you need anything” puts the work back on them.
• Remember the dates. Birthdays, anniversaries, the first holidays. Grief often comes back hardest when everyone else has moved on.
• Pray, and say so. A short note with a verse from this page is a gift that can be read again later.

What to write in a sympathy card

Keep it short and true. Name the person who died, say you are sorry, and, if you like, add one verse. Some people find these lines helpful as a start:

• “I’m so sorry about N. I’m thankful I knew her, and I’m praying for you.”
• “We will miss N. very much. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted’ (Matthew 5:4).”
• “Thinking of you today. ‘Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart’ (Psalm 34:18).”

Bible readings for a Christian funeral

Most churches offer a set list of readings for a funeral, and families often choose them. The list below is printed in the Book of Common Prayer (1979) and overlaps heavily with the Catholic Order of Christian Funerals and the funeral orders of Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Your pastor or priest will have the list your church uses.

30 days in Scripture for grief

Grief does not keep a schedule, and neither does this plan: skip a day, repeat a day, read one verse instead of a chapter. It moves from the psalms of lament, through the prophets’ promises of comfort and the Gospels, to the hope at the end of the Bible. A printable copy is below.

All 30 daysPrint it below

Day	Read	Theme
Day 1	Psalm 23	The shepherd in the valley
Day 2	Psalm 13	How long?
Day 3	Psalm 42	Why are you downcast, my soul?
Day 4	Psalm 43	Send out your light
Day 5	Psalm 46	God is our refuge
Day 6	Psalm 88	A prayer from the dark
Day 7	Psalm 90	Teach us to count our days
Day 8	Psalm 116	He heard my voice
Day 9	Psalm 121	My help comes from the Lord
Day 10	Psalm 130	Out of the depths
Day 11	Psalm 139:1-18	You know me
Day 12	Psalm 34	Near to the broken-hearted
Day 13	Lamentations 3:1-33	New every morning
Day 14	Isaiah 40:1-11	Comfort my people
Day 15	Isaiah 43:1-7	When you pass through the waters
Day 16	Isaiah 61:1-3	To comfort all who mourn
Day 17	Job 1:13-22	The Lord gave, the Lord has taken
Day 18	Job 19:21-27	I know that my Redeemer lives
Day 19	Ecclesiastes 3:1-15	A time to mourn
Day 20	Matthew 5:1-12	Blessed are those who mourn
Day 21	Matthew 11:25-30	Rest for the weary
Day 22	John 11:1-44	Jesus wept
Day 23	John 14:1-27	Do not let your hearts be troubled
Day 24	John 20:11-18	Mary weeping at the tomb
Day 25	Romans 8:18-39	Nothing can separate us
Day 26	1 Corinthians 15:35-58	Death, where is your sting?
Day 27	2 Corinthians 4:7-5:1	Not losing heart
Day 28	1 Thessalonians 4:13-18	Grieving with hope
Day 29	Revelation 7:9-17	God will wipe away every tear
Day 30	Revelation 21:1-7	All things new

For longer plans, from the Gospels in 30 days to the whole Bible in a year, see our Bible reading plans.

Free printables

No ads, no sign-up, no email wall. Print as many copies as you need for a family, a church, a funeral home or a support group. Every verse is from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Our notes and layouts are licensed CC BY 4.0: credit “Weekday Grace, weekdaygrace.com” if you adapt them.