Comforting psalms for the dying

We’re Sorry — A Server Error Occurred

MetaFilter is over capacity at the moment. Please try reloading the page after a few seconds.

The details of this error have been sent to a site administrator and we’ll try to fix the problem quickly. This might be a one-time thing, but if you consistently have this problem, please contact the MeFi Admins with a description of your problem and the following information:

• Date and Time: 3/26/18 3:02 AM
• Your Browser: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.3; WOW64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/30.0.1599.101 Safari/537.36
• Your Location: 136.243.3.135

Including the information above with a bug report can help us diagnose the problem, thanks.

ask.metafilter.com

I love the Psalms. I love the Psalms because they are full of people crying out to God from all kinds of circumstances. I think many people fail to realize that the vast majority of Psalms came pouring out of someone in pain and turmoil. Most of them are laments. They are people of God crying out to Him in the midst of their trials and heartaches. 

The Psalms are beautiful because though they are sung by distressed people, they remind us that there is power in praise and there is comfort, even in the midst of pain, when we remember who our God is.

My most popular post to date is Verses for Loss: Scriptures to Comfort the Grief Stricken & Mourning. Today I am sharing 10 of my favorite Psalms to go to when I need to feel comforted. I included an excerpt of each Psalm but I highly suggest you read each Psalm in its entirety. At the very least jot down these comforting Palms in your Bible. 

So whether you are mourning, or just stressed and overwhelmed, I pray these Psalms bring you great peace & I pray the God of peace would surround you with His presence as you look into His Word. I pray you find comfort for your soul.

Psalm 9

But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:7-10

Psalm 16

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:8-9&11

Psalm 23

He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 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 23:2-3

Psalm 34

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:17-18

Psalm 40 

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. Psalm 40:1-2

Psalm 46

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. Psalm 46:1-2

Psalm 61

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. Psalm 61:1-2

Psalm 77

I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy.What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders;you have made known your might among the peoples. Psalm 77:11-14

Psalm 90

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,my God, in whom I trust.”For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. Psalm 90:2-6

Psalm 139

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! Psalm 139:7-8

I hope these comforting Psalms show you that it is okay to be honest and open with God about the storm raging in your soul. He promises to be close to the hurting. He tells us our pain hurts Him too. He sees the storm raging and luckily He’s the only one I know that winds and waves obey.

Don’t let your circumstances and trials pull you from God. Instead press in to Him when life is difficult. He is our comforter. 

I hope these Psalms brought you comfort. I love putting these posts together for you guys & I would love to hear from you if they are helping you. Also I would love it if you would share this post with your friends & followers. I want the world to know we have an awesome source of comfort available! 

Make sure you guys are in our Living For Love VIP Club. I send out encouragement just like this weekly straight to your inbox as well as freebies and other updates!

www.aloveworthlivingfor.com

On March 22, 2016, at exactly 12 pm, my mom went to be with the Lord. (Read my tribute.)

While death is no longer an enemy for a believer in Jesus Christ, it remains difficult for the dying and their loved ones.

I’m really going to miss my mom!

Death is the result of sin in the world, and without the hope of a Savior to forgive us for our sins, we are under the wrath of God.

But thanks be to God that He sent His only Son to die for our sins and rise again to give believers eternal life in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). “Oh, the sweet life of a Christian that hath made his peace with God! He is fit for all conditions: for life, for death, for everything.” Richard Sibbes While we still face the physical consequences of living in a fallen world, death, we can set our hope in the promises of God through Jesus Christ, and rest secure knowing heaven awaits those who die in Christ. My hope is that the encouraging Scripture passages I share below will lift your spiritual eyes heavenward as you wait to go home to Jesus.

Related Link: 15 of the Best Christian Books on Grief, Death, and Suffering

Comforting Bible Verses about Death for Those Dying in Christ

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 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.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

John 11:25-26

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 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 Corinthians 2:9

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.

Revelation 1:17-18

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

Revelation 14:13

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”

Romans 14:7-9

For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Philippians 1:21-23 

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

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.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

2 Corinthians 5:6-9

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.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

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. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Peter 1:23-25

…You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

Job 1:21

And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Comforting Bible Verses about Death from the Psalms

Psalm 16:8-11

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Psalm 23:4

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.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil;     my cup overflows. 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 34:4-5

I sought the Lord, and he answered me

    and delivered me from all my fears.Those who look to him are radiant,    and their faces shall never be ashamed.

Psalm 46:1-2

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.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 73:25-26

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 116:15

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

Psalm 149:6

For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Some of the Best Comforting Quotes about Suffering, Death, and Dying in Christ

Never fear dying, beloved. Dying is the last, but the least matter that a Christian has to be anxious about. —Charles Spurgeon

A Jesus who never wept could never wipe away my tears. ― Charles Spurgeon

How awful to die out of Christ! How blessed to die in Christ! —William Tiptaft

The pain felt upon the departure of loved ones from this life will generally mirror the joy we felt while they remained with us. — Sam Storms

You don’t really know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have. —Timothy Keller

Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny. — C.S. Lewis

Let us consider this settled, that no one has made progress in the school of Christ who does not joyfully await the day of death and final resurrection. – John Calvin

It is in weeping that we learn to contemplate the goodness of God. It is in mourning that we discover the peace of God that passes understanding. — R.C. Sproul

Displaying the glory of the grace of God is the point of suffering. —John Piper

Often we say that Christ will meet us on the other side. That is true, of course, but misleading. Let us never forget that He walks with us on this side of the curtain and then guides us through the opening. We will meet Him there, because we have met Him here. – Erwin Lutzer

Depend upon it, your dying hour will be the best hour you have ever known! Your last moment will be your richest moment, better than the day of your birth will be the day of your death. It shall be the beginning of heaven, the rising of a sun that shall go no more down forever! – C.H. Spurgeon

God will allow evil only to the degree that it brings about the very opposite of what it intends. ― Timothy Keller

Oh, the sweet life of a Christian that hath made his peace with God! He is fit for all conditions: for life, for death, for everything. —Richard Sibbes

…fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy is greatest, even when the cross is heaviest. —J.I. Packer

Those who understand God’s sovereignty have joy even in the midst of suffering, a joy reflected on their very faces, for they see that their suffering is not without purpose. — R.C. Sproul

Jesus holds the keys to death, and Satan cannot snatch those keys out of His hand. Christ’s grip is firm. He holds the keys because He owns the keys. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. That includes all authority over life and death. The angel of death is at His beck and call. —R.C. Sproul

The proper epitaph to write for the Christian believer is not a dismal uncertain petition, ‘R.I.P.’…but a joyful and certain affirmation ‘C.A.D.’ (‘Christ abolished death’). —John Stott

5 Book Recommendations on Suffering, Death, and Dying

1. A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
2. The Gospel According to Job: An Honest Look at Pain and Doubt from the Life of One Who Lost Everything by Mark Mason
3. Hearing Jesus Speak Into Your Sorrow by Nancy Guthrie
4. Trusting God Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges
5. Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering by Tim Keller

See more recommended books: 15 of the Best Christian Books on Grief, Death, and Suffering

5 Song Recommendations

Song: I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe

Even if the Healing Doesn’t Come by Kutless

Blessed be the Name of the Lord by Matt Redman

In Christ Alone by Keith and Kristyn Getty

Golden City

Funeral to Birthday by Flame This song has always been very encouraging to me.

Related Article: J.I. Packer’s 10 Tips for Grieving the Loss of a Loved One

You May Be Interested In: 100+ Book Recommendations for Christians and 100+ of the Best Christian Biographies

www.kevinhalloran.net

Imagine what it will be like to be surrounded by the glory of God. You have arrived in your eternal home – Heaven.  This is the blessed hope of every believer. But before we get there we sometimes see loved ones go before us. At the funeral of a believer we can celebrate the home going, but as humans we still mourn for the time that we will miss them in our earthly home. Funerals do not have to be sad; we can be comforted with what the Bible promises. Take time to think about Heaven, watch and listen to the video to the right, it is quite comforting. Read these fifteen comforting Bible verses for funerals.  Share them with someone who might need some help finding good verses for a funeral.

Comfort: Assurance & Hope 

Job 19:25-26 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted… “ (Jesus’ words)

John 14:1-4 “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. And you know the way to where I am going.” (Jesus’ words)

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 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. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 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.

Comfort Because He Cares for Us 

Psalms 61:1-2 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 

Psalms 94:19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. 

Isaiah 41:10, 13 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 … For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

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. 

God Has a Great Plan for All 

Psalms 119:50 This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted 

Romans 14:7-9 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 

Philippians 1:21-23 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 

Was This Article Helpful?

If this article was helpful to you, please consider linking this article to your own blog or sharing this through the social buttons to the left. You might also find some of these other articles helpful:

20 Uplifting Bible Verses For Times of Adversity

Bible Verses For Encouragement: 20 Great Scripture Quotes

Bible Verses About Heaven: 15 Scripture Quotes

Bible Verses About Hope: 20 Uplifting Scripture Quotes

Sources:

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version

“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

Youtube.com “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe

Would you like to get the daily question in your FB messenger? Just click the button below to get started.

Tagged as: Bible Verses by Topic, comfort, death, Funerals, Heaven

Share this post

:  |  |  |  | 

Twitter

www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com