How To Hold On To Hope While You Grieve

Published by helloredds@gmail.com on 10/28/2025 11/04/2025

How To Hold On To Hope While You Grieve

For the past year and a half, the most emotionally challenging part of my week has been the time spent changing the sheets on my bed.

Rev and I shared that bed for more than two-thirds of our lives.

When we moved eight years ago, we bought a super heavy mattress. I can’t even lift the corners.

So, every time I had to change the sheets, Rev would insist that I call on him to lift the mattress while I tucked in the corners of the bedding. And wow, did I hear about it if I tried to wiggle them into place on my own.

That is, until his battle with ALS progressed to the point where his muscles failed, and he had to spend the last year of his life lying in that bed. Each week, he’d wait in the corner chair, watching me work quickly on my own and sharing his disappointment about being unable to help.

These days, I think of him every time I wriggle the sheets between the mattress and foundation.

Oh, I think about him all the time, but those memories of his helpful and nurturing spirit define him in my heart.

Why am I sharing all of that with you?

Because the Lord has taught me something important about holding on to hope through those more intense moments of grief.

I’ve learned to cling to these words of Jeremiah…

“I will never forget this awful time,
As I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is His faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.”

Lamentations 3:21–23

Jeremiah wasn’t talking about the death of a close loved one, but Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem and the loss and captivity of its citizens.

We Grieve All Kinds of Things

We grieve all kinds of things … the loss of loved ones, jobs, relationships, and even the loss of opportunities. And any loss needs the encouragement of hope, one day at a time.

That’s the important truth I’ve learned through this season of grief. Hope is lived day by day.

If I stop to think about the reality of not sharing my bed with Rev for the rest of my life, I can hardly breathe.

But praise God, that’s when His Spirit prompts me to pause and pray for peace, strength, and hope for the moment.

You and I don’t have to ask for forever hope because we have God’s promises to give us what we need when we need it. One day at a time.

The writer of Hebrews said…

“So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because God can’t lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.” Hebrews 6:18

Everyone who has faith in Jesus has been promised a forever future with Him in the glories of heaven.

That is the hope that lies before us…

Jesus [said], “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.”

John 11:25–26

We also have the promise of daily hope…

“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

So, that is my daily prayer for us … to hold on to the hope we have in Jesus.

Whatever your current circumstances, past regrets, or future fears, you and I have a Savior who has promised to give us what we need each day.

Isaiah proclaimed God’s promise to give us strength when we need it.

“The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of His understanding.

He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.”

Isaiah 40:28–29

Jesus promised to give us peace when we’re afraid.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” John 14:27

And He promised to comfort us when we mourn.

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4

Paul shared God’s promise to fill us with hope while we wait.

Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled. Romans 15:13

When you and I trust God’s promises through faith, we have everything we need to hold on to hope while we’re grieving. We can have the morsel of hope we need to get through today, and the promise of eternal hope for our forever future.

Will you pray with me…

“Father God, thank You for sending Jesus to suffer my punishment and save me from the eternal consequences of my sins. Thank You for Your promises that give me everything I need to encourage me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 

Also, thank You for the blessing of hope, even while I’m grieving. The hope You give strengthens and comforts me with Your peace today, and encourages me to look forward to an eternity with You and everyone who loves and trusts You.

I love you, Lord. You are the One who makes all things possible. You are my hope and my future. And You hold me in the palm of Your hand, and I have everything I need because I belong to You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”

May the Lord bless you with the hope you need today, tomorrow, and always.

About the Author: Deb Wolf

Deb Wolf is a child of God, a pastor’s wife, mom, grandma, daughter, sister, and friend who loves nothing better than laughing with friends over a good cup of coffee.

She loves sharing the amazing ways God transformed a “good little church girl” into a joy-filled woman of faith.

Even more, she is madly in love with Jesus and blessed to be able to share her love for Him through her writing and at retreats and conferences.

She says that she is still a major work in progress. Each day, she takes life one blessing-filled moment at a time, thankful for God’s patience and persistence as He continues to work in her life.

Connect with Deb Wolf:

Please visit me at Counting My Blessings At the Intersection of Faith and Life 

Follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

And check out my books – 52-Week Devotional Journal for Women and Sarah’s Garden! 

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