Scriptural Waves of Encouragement Amid Grief

In the days following my staggering loss, I was overwhelmed with supporters sharing Scripture with me. In those early days, weeks, and months following Kim’s death, I received cards, text messages, and letters. Each one was a carrier of encouraging passages from the Word of God. I was overwhelmed by the outpouring, so I decided to review, rehearse, and capture those passages and compile it.

This compilation is a tapestry of excerpts from the Bible shared with me in those early days of loss. Brothers and sisters wanted to rally around me and uphold me by pointing me to God’s Word. God’s promises. The best way to encourage someone is to share Scripture to bolster their faith during such a crisis.

So, following is simply a list of every Scripture passage I received through various means. The passages are in the order they come in the books of the Bible. There were some duplicates, but I was struck by the wide range of Scripture shared with me. God wanted me to have a broad message from his Word. Now, as I look back over this tapestry of passages, I am not surprised that many of these reminders were part of my processing and healing on my unwanted journey. In essence, they helped me face the loss in a gospel-focused, Bible-guided manner.

Therefore, may this tapestry of passages bring comfort, faith, and encouragement to others as it did to me:


“And he said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’” Exodus 33:14

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26

“…and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.” Deuteronomy 1:31

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in his majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you and said, ‘Destroy.’” Deuteronomy 33:26-27

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.” Job 23:10

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah” Psalm‬ ‭3:3-4‬

“But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.” Psalm 4:3

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6

“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:13-14

“Blessed be the Lord For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalm 28:6-7

“May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” Psalm 29:11

“Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” Psalms 30:10

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Psalms 30:11-12

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.” Psalms 37:3

“The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will remain forever…” Psalms 37:18

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.” Psalms 39:12

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.” Psalm 46:1-4

“The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:7

“…and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” Psalm 50:15

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Psalms 56:4

“You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?” Psalm 56:8

“O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.” Psalms 59:17

“Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!” Psalm 61:1-4

“Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.” Psalm 69:16

“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped…until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end.” Psalm 73:2, 17

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26

“But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.” Psalm 73:28

“With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand.” Psalms 78:72

“You have fed them with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in full measure.” Psalms 80:5

“Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face…” Psalm 89:15

“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” Psalm 90:4

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” Psalm 91:1-2

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11

“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.” Psalms 94:17

“For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalms 100:5

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” Psalms 116:15

“It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Psalms 118:9 

“Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant. Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.”  Psalm 119:76-77

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” Psalms 119:114

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1

“You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” Psalm 139:2

“You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” Psalm 139:5-6

“The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down…The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:14, 18

“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.” Psalm 146:5-6

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10

“If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Proverbs 24:10

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” Proverbs 28:26

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Proverbs 30:5

“…a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” Ecclesiastes 3:4

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.” Isaiah 25:8

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Isaiah 26:3

“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 25:8

“O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.” Isaiah 33:2

“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” Isaiah 40:11

“…but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

“…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

“The Lord goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.” Isaiah 42:13

“Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.” Isaiah 46:3-4

“Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.” Isaiah 49:13

“For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song.” Isaiah 51:3

“And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:11

“I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.” Isaiah 65:19

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

“’Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” Matthew 1:23

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7-8

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

“He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” Matthew 28:6

“And he said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” Mark 6:31

“Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” John 11:25-26

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1-3

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18

“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.” John 14:27

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Romans 8:28-29

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers.” Romans 8:37-38

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

“But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.’” 1 Corinthians 2:9

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

“When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” 1 Corinthians 15:54

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57

“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. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-7

“Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” 2 Corinthians 1:9-10

“…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.” 2 Corinthians 4:18

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-9

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one…” Ephesians 6:16

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3:20-21

“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel.” Colossians 1:3-5

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” Colossians 3:15

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-15

“Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:17

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:16

“…he has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5

“…casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9

“For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:17

“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.” Revelation 21:4