Anyone who has experienced grief knows it can leave us wordless. We might not know what to say to support loved ones who are grieving, but showing up to offer a hug, a meal, or a listening ear speaks louder than words. When we need comfort for our own sorrow, sitting in silence with the Lord or opening the Psalms can provide the balm our hearts need. The Scriptures supply consolation when we run out of words ourselves. It is with reason that people have always loved psalms for funerals; they offer hope and solace to those who mourn.
Whether we’re looking for words to comfort others or find solace ourselves, inspirational quotes can offer reassurance and reminders of God’s love. This list of psalms for funerals, followed by quotes from Scripture and great writers can help us remember God’s sovereign care for us in times of grief.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Marc Bruxelle
Psalms for Funerals
1. Psalm 23:1-3
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.”
Psalm 23 has offered familiar words of strength and hope to generations. For this reason, it is the most popular and best loved psalm for funerals.
2. Psalm 90:1-2
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
4. Psalm 27:13-14 (ESV)
“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!”
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Dragana991
Psalms of Comfort for a Funeral
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”
“The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
7. Psalm 116:7-9,15
“Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living…
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.”
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
Scripture Quotes for Funerals
9. Lamentations 3:21-23 (ESV)
“But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
11. Romans 8:38-39
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
12. John 14:1-3
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Photo Credit: © Unsplash/jenny-marvin
Quotes from Scripture for Funerals
“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’”
14. Philippians 1:21
“To live is Christ and to die is gain.”
15. Revelation 21:3-5a
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
16. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a, 11
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die… He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”
Photo Credit: Unsplash/Paul Keiffer
Inspiring Quotes for Funerals
17. “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes part of us.” – Helen Keller
18. “The journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take.” – J.R.R. Tolkien
19 “How can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind?” – Carson McCullers
20 “Only a moment you stayed, but what an imprint your footprints have left on our hearts.” – Dorothy Ferguson
21 “How shall we sing our love's song now
In this strange land where all are born to die?
Each tree and leaf and star show how
The universe is part of this one cry,
Every life is noted and is cherished,
and nothing loved is ever lost or perished.” – Madeleine L’Engle
Quotes of Comfort and Inspiration for a Funeral
22. In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. – Abraham Lincoln
23. “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” – Pericles
24. “Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends leave footprints in your heart.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
25. “When words are most empty, tears are most apt.” – Max Lucado
These psalms for funerals, as well as quotes from Scripture and famous writers, can soothe our hearts when grief overwhelms our souls. May Jesus, our Great Shepherd, show Himself near to those mourning the loss of loved ones. We know that our Redeemer lives, and He restores hope, even in death.
Betsy de Cruz writes and speaks to help overwhelmed women take small steps to invite more of God’s presence and power into their lives. Connect with Betsy and get a free Quiet Time Renewal Guide at FaithSpillingOver.com. Her book More of God is a distracted woman’s guide to more meaningful quiet times. Betsy and her husband José live in Arlington, Texas and love hanging out with their two young adult children.
Originally published Thursday, 16 April 2020.
