What Does It Mean to Grieve with Hope

What does it mean to grieve with hope?

The Bible tells us that we, as believers, don’t grieve as the world does. We grieve with hope. But what is this hope, and why does it make the burden of grief lighter?

What Does it Mean to Grieve with Hope

The Apostle Paul comforted the church in Thessaloniki with these words:

“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians, 4:13, NIV)

He wanted to comfort the grieving hearts who had lost loved ones and give them another perspective on how to think about their losses. We also need to adopt this perspective and anchor our hearts in hope.

The first thing Paul wanted us to know is that there is a difference between the grieving journey of believers and the rest of mankind. This is a huge difference defined by the presence or absence of hope. People in the world often feel hopeless, and their sorrow can be destructive. But the people who trust the living God always have hope, even in grief.

The people who trust the living God always have hope, even in grief. #grief #trustGod Share on X

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Prisoners of Grief and Hope

When we experience a tragic event and lose a person we love, our hearts are broken, and we embark on the challenging and dangerous journey of grief. Intense feelings of sadness, anger, anxiety, regret, and even hopelessness overwhelm us. We become prisoners of grief.

But God tells us we are also prisoners of hope. Listen to this amazing promise:

“Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope; even now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you.” (Zechariah 9:12, NIV)

God invites us to return to the fortress. Who or what is our fortress? This is God Himself, His protective presence, and His constant love. When we choose to run to Him with our grief and hide under His feathers, we are no longer hostages of grief, but prisoners of hope, too.

God gives us the hope of healing and restoration, even double restoration! It is difficult to imagine how this may look in our lives, but restoration and redemption are what God does. This is His specialty and business. We can be sure that our loss and grief have triggered His plans for healing, rebuilding, and restoring.

When we choose to run to God with our grief and hide under His feathers, we are no longer hostages of grief, but prisoners of hope, too. #trustGod #grief #hope Share on X

What is Our Hope in Grief

There are many levels of hope the Lord implants in our hearts. Here are the major ones.

#1 Hope for Comfort

The first level of hope is the hope for comfort. Since the Holy Spirit is our Comforter, we can be sure that we will receive real and ever-present comfort while we grieve.

“But the Comforter, even the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said unto you.” (John 14:26, ASV)

The ancient word translated as comforter is Parakletos (par-ak’-lay-tos). The simplest Strong’s definition includes: “an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter, helper.”

This describes very well the biblical meaning of comfort, which includes three levels: giving encouragement and consolation, providing help, and giving strength.

In the Lord, we have everything we need to navigate grief, even in the hardest moments. If we lean on Him, we have His consolation, help, and strength moment by moment.

#2 Hope for Healing and Restoration

With the Lord, we can not only have hope to survive our grief journey, but we can also have the hope for healing and restoration. While we are in the chains of grief, it may be hard to imagine that we may heal, grow, and even thrive after experiencing a life-altering loss.

But the Lord is a Healer and Restorer. This reflects His heart for His people, and He always works tirelessly to rebuild and heal our broken hearts. He is the only one Who can make all things, and all suffering contribute to our ultimate good.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[i] have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV)

#3 Hope for Eternity

In the Lord, we not only have hope while we are on this earth, but we have hope for eternity. First, we have the hope to be with our loved ones together at the coming of the Lord, and then the hope of being with Him forever. This is the kind of hope the Apostle Paul describes to the church in Thessaloniki.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, NIV) 

We are also waiting and expecting with firm hope the new heaven and the new earth promised by God when He will renew everything. We place our hope in the promise that “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4, NIV).

Christ in Us: The Hope of Glory

Finally, God has deposited the most precious gift in us, the guarantee of all our hopes. This is Christ’s presence in us, by the indwelling Holy Spirit. He is our living hope, the hope of glory. 

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27, NIV)

One day, in the new heaven and earth, we will not only see God’s glory to the fullest, but we will also partake in His glory. This helps us bring our grief into perspective. God will surely compensate us not double, but immeasurably, for all our sorrows and pains.

Christ in us is the guarantee of all our hopes. #hope #trustGod #encouragement Share on X

We Can Draw Near to God in Our Grief

If you want to learn more about how God used my losses, grief, and other painful experiences to transform and bless me, my book,“Draw Near: How Painful Experiences Become the Birthplace of Blessings,” is for you. Let me take you on a journey through 13 painful experiences, showing losses and the precious blessings in each of them.

More Encouragement for You

If you need more resources, encouragement, and comfort when you go through pain, grief, and despair, I can highly recommend these books. Check them out.

Trusting God in All the Things: 90 Devotions for Finding Peace in Your Every Day by Karen Ehman and Ruth Schwenk

The Night Is Normal by Dr. Alicia Britt Chole

Make Up Your Mind: Unlock Your Thoughts, Transform Your Life by Denise Dubois Pass and Michelle Nietert

Life Can Be Good Again by Lisa Appelo

It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lisa Terkeurst

Hope When Life Unravels: Finding God When It Hurts by Adam Dooley

Restoration Year – a 365 Days Devotional by John Eldredge

All Things New by John Eldredge

Hope for the Hard Days by Sarah Geringer

Lean into Grace by Stacey Pardoe

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Your Turn

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