Walking Through the Valley of Child Loss with God
If you have ever felt alone in the pain of losing your child, I want you to know that you are not walking this road by yourself. Together, as grieving parents, we walk through this valley with the God who promises to be our Shepherd. God Himself is with us, just as He was with the very first grieving parents in the Bible.
A few years ago, I began to look more closely at the parents in the Bible who lost a child. Reading their stories now, as a mom who has walked through this devastation myself, gave me a whole new perspective. Their pain and their faith speak powerful truths that still meet us in our own grief.
Biblical Parents Who Experienced the Death of a Child
When Adam and Eve buried their son, Abel, after he was murdered by his own brother, I don’t think they even understood the full reality of death until they saw Abel’s lifeless body. They were the first to experience the heartbreak of child loss, and they weren’t the last. Scripture is filled with stories of parents who endured the death of a child, and their experiences hold encouragement for us today.
Take King David for example. He pleaded and fasted for God to heal his sick infant son, but the answer was “no.” Many of us know what that feels like. Yet even in his grief, David expressed faith that one day he would see his son again. That assurance of reunion is something we can hold on to as well. Grieving Parents in the Bible like David remind us that even in loss, faith can anchor us.
Or consider Job. He didn’t just lose one child; he lost all of them. His anguish was deep, and his questions were raw. Yet Job held on to his faith in God. His story reminds us that our tears and questions are not a weakness. They are part of honestly walking with God through our suffering.
There is also the Shunammite woman, who I first overlooked, because her son was raised back to life. But before that miracle, she faced the sudden death of her young boy. In her desperation, she clung to God’s prophet and refused to let go until she saw Him move. Her persistence reminds us that God welcomes our raw cries and desperate clinging when grief overwhelms us.
God’s Presence, Mercy, and Hope Amidst Grief
These stories, as well as reading about others in the Scriptures who have lost a child, reveal something important: God does not turn away from grieving parents. He meets us in our pain. The Grieving Parents in the Bible show us that while the sorrow is deep and lasting, God’s presence, mercy and hope are deeper still.
One of the most profound truths I have learned is that God’s goodness is not transactional. It is not about Him shielding us from pain in exchange for our prayers or good behavior. Instead, His goodness is found in His presence with us, in His comfort, peace, and the hope of eternity. His mercy carries us, even when life doesn’t look the way we thought it would or should.
Isaiah 61 became my life passage before I knew God would shift me from international children’s ministry to walking with grieving parents. It promises beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, comfort for the brokenhearted and freedom for those who are locked in a place that holds them captive. That is what He is doing in me and through me, and I fully believe it is what He wants to do for every parent walking this road of deep earthly loss.
Finding Encouragement Through The Bible’s Grieving Parents
We can see in the stories of grieving parents in the Bible that God’s mercy and goodness carried them through, and He will do the same for us. His Spirit strengthens us to not only survive, but to one day share hope with others walking this same painful journey.
These shattered parents, and others, became the foundation for my new book, The Bible’s Grieving Parents: Finding Comfort, Hope and Faith from Their Stories. You can receive the same encouragement I discovered, by looking at these parents through the lens of losing a child from this earth. Their journeys remind us that God is not absent in our darkest valley. He is the same God who met them in their grief, and He is here for us today, to meet us in ours.
So, if you have been struggling with questions like “Where is God in this pain?” or “How do I keep living with a broken heart?” I wrote this book for you. My prayer is that these biblical stories will remind you that you are not alone, and that God’s goodness and mercy are still at work in your life.
NOTE: This was partially taken from the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast episode 315. Click here to listen to the full discussion, or look for the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast on your favorite listening app.
📖 The Bible’s Grieving Parents – Available for a limited time at a special price:
- Kindle edition on Amazon: only $2.99 Click here (Affiliate link – GPS Hope will receive a small portion of the purchase price)
- PDF download from GPS Hope: only $4.99 Click here
Introducing Rebuilding Your Life: A Gentle Guide Toward Hope and Healing After Child Loss — a free resource to help grieving parents take small steps toward light and hope. Click here to get your copy.
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, LAURA DIEHL, has written several impactful books that provide comfort and guidance to those navigating the painful journey of child loss, after the death of her own daughter in 2011. Her most acclaimed work, When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life with Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child, has received multiple accolades, including the 2017 Gold Medal Centauri Christian Book Award for Non-Fiction and a Silver Medal in the 2018 Illumination Awards. Several of her other books have won awards as well.
In addition to her writing, Laura is an ordained minister and has an extensive background in international children’s ministry. She is a sought-after speaker and singer at grief conferences and churches, known for her compassionate approach and deep understanding of the grieving process, especially the unique loss of a child. Through her weekly award-winning podcast, her writings, and other resources provided by GPS Hope, Laura and her husband, Dave, continue to provide hope and healing to thousands of parents worldwide, helping them find light in the midst of profound loss and darkness.
For more information about Laura’s award-winning books go to gpshope.org/books.
To find out more about Laura Diehl and the ministry of Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) visit gpshope.org.
The link to Hope for the Future is an affiliate link, allowing part of the purchase price to go to GPS Hope.
In 2018, Dave and I bought a motor home that we lovingly call the Hope Mobile. For five years we traveled full-time across the nation for GPS Hope, coming alongside grieving parents at retreats, support groups, and personal visits. Eventually, we needed to pause that season to be closer to our kids and grandkids here in Wisconsin, but the Hope Mobile still carries its own stories. Even as I write this, walnuts are falling on its roof, squirrels are playing tag in the trees above, and Savanah the cat is on full alert at the window.
For years, I’ve held onto my dad’s magic. But now I am forced to pray about what to do because of my son preparing to sell the house. How do you sell a bunch of magic tricks? Would anyone even buy them? I did some research, and sent out a few emails for some suggestions.
Here’s what I have been reminded of once again; letting go doesn’t mean forgetting. The love and the legacy remain, even when the “stuff” does not. And when the time is right, God will give us peace about what to keep, what to release, and how to carry the memories forward.
Introducing 
One of the hardest parts of grief after losing a child is what it does to our minds. The fog, the forgetfulness, the inability to concentrate; it can feel overwhelming and even frightening. One day I drove home from the grocery store without my groceries! I remember one time pulling over in the car because I could not remember why I was driving or where I was going, and checking to see if there was something on my phone calendar to tell me. (Thankfully, there was.)
If this is you right now, please hear me: you’re not crazy, and you’re not alone. This is part of the grieving process. And even though those first couple of years can feel brutal, it does get better. The breakdowns become less frequent, and the fog doesn’t last as long.
Here’s something important I had to learn: there is a difference between grief and self-pity. Grief is an appropriate response to the unthinkable loss of a child. But there comes a point where we can choose not to stay stuck in despair — and begin 
One of the truths that set me free was realizing I wasn’t moving further away from my daughter, Becca, as the years went by. Each day I live on this earth actually brings me closer to the day I will see her again. I am not getting further away from her; I am getting closer and closer to her. That perspective helped to shift me out of my self-pity, and still does.
I recently had the blessing of talking with a pareavor on the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast, who is a strong encourager of prayer, even after the death of her daughter. I know praying can be extremely difficult for many of us now, wondering why we should bother praying, if God is just going to do what He wants to do anyway.
Rachel shared how those final days were filled with both deep anger and incredible intimacy with God. In her grief, she cried out, “God, you don’t know what it’s like to watch your child suffer and die.” Immediately, she felt His gentle reply: “Yes, I do. I watched my Son suffer and die for you.” That moment transformed John 3:16 from a familiar verse into a life-altering reality. God’s love was not distant. He was holding Taylor in heaven and Rachel on earth at the same time.
For most of us, it takes a while to realize that it is not the pain that keeps us attached to our children, but it is our love for them. This love not only remains, but for many of us, it continues to grow stronger and sharing that love with others becomes part of the healing journey.
Rachel’s encouragement is simple but life-giving: even if you don’t feel God, He is with you. Pain cannot grip you tighter than His grace. And joy and sorrow can co-exist in our lives when we let His Spirit breathe peace into our pain.
Two years later, on the anniversary of her son’s death, Carol went outside again. This time, she didn’t see any shooting stars. Instead, she felt an overwhelming joy as she thought about where her son is now; in the presence of Jesus, the One he had loved since childhood.
Like so many of us, Carol wrestled with despair. She prayed, 
It’s important to understand that God did not take Free away in order to get Carol closer to Him. God does not cause death. Satan does. But what God does is take even the most devastating situations and bring beauty out of the ashes.
I know some of you may not be at the place Carol is yet, and that’s okay. Her story is not meant for comparison—it’s meant to be a picture of hope. Carol has chosen to keep looking up, and in doing so, she has become a grieving parent sharing hope. You can be one too, in your own time and your own way.
