A couple of weeks ago some good friends asked if the podcast I recently took part in helped me find closure regarding my husband’s death.
My knee-jerk response to the question was to ask, “What do you mean by closure?”
They were uncertain how to answer my question.
This brief conversation has led me to spend some time pondering the concept of closure and how it relates biblically to a heart grieving over the tragic death of a loved one.
Is this truly possible in my circumstances from a biblical point of view?
What is Closure to a Grieving Heart?
To start my process, I looked up the definition of closure.
First, consider the following definition of closure from the APA Dictionary of Psychology:
The act, achievement, or sense of completing or resolving something. In psychotherapy, for example, a client achieves closure with the recognition that they have reached a resolution to a particular psychological issue or relationship problem.
The second definition of closure found at merriam-webster.com/dictionary is like the above definition: an often comforting or satisfying sense of finality.
There were many other definitions for the word though that were more literal, like an act or condition of being closed, such as closure of eyelids, etc.
A search for the word closure in the Bible yielded results that failed to correspond with the definitions above. What the Bible used this word for focused on describing acts of oppression or the state of a woman being barren.
Since our language is a living language, it makes sense that over time, the word closure has developed additional definitions depending on the context in which it is being used.
Thus, doing a biblical word study on the word closure itself isn’t useful for the meaning we are wrestling with as defined by the APA or merriam-webster.com regarding psychological closure concerns.
So, the question remains: what is closure to a grieving heart biblically?
Let’s look at Isaiah 35:1-10 to see if we can answer this question.
What is Closure to a Grieving Heart?
A Study of Isaiah 35:1-10 | Passage Questions
35 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God. [1]
What is the source of gladness and rejoicing in the verses above?
Using Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-19, explain why the land of the earth is often dry and the people often sad before they saw the glory of the Lord?
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.” [2]
How are the weak, feeble, and anxious made strong?
Who does the saving?
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes. [3]
How complete is the power of God’s presence for those he saves?
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. [4]
Who can be redeemed?
What is the reward of those God redeems?
When will sorrow and sighing flee away?
How does this passage answer the question what is closure to a grieving heart?
What is Closure to a Grieving Heart?
A Study of Isaiah 35:1-10 | Application Questions
What situations from your own life came to your mind as you studied Isaiah 35:1-10?
How does this passage encourage you to live with hope even while continuing to experience hardships?
What actions do you need to take to stay on the Way of Holiness?
How can you encourage another person who is struggling with grief or other hardship?
What is Closure to a Grieving Heart?
A Scripture and Prayer Response
5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. [5]
Heavenly Father, thank you for your love letter to us found in scripture. Thank you for the promise of your saving act of redemption that is already accomplished through Jesus Christ. Help us sense your loving presence via the Holy Spirit living within our souls to guide and comfort us through the challenges we face.
19 Remember my affliction and my wanderings,
the wormwood and the gall!
20 My soul continually remembers it
and is bowed down within me.
21 But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.” [6]
Remind us to know your promises shared with us through examples like Jeremiah, who expresses great sorrow over the hardships he and his countrymen were experiencing under your sovereign grace.
12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord[7]
Thank you, Lord, that you offer yourself to us when we seek you.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. [8]
Yes, Lord, Jesus is our high priest who understands us. Thank you also for the fellowship of believers who point us to Christ for the only closure that truly heals. Amen.
Warmly,
Barbara Lynn
Leave your own prayer of praise and thanks in the comments below.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Is 35:1–2.
[2] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Is 35:3–4.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Is 35:5–7.
[4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Is 35:8–10.
[5] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ro 5:1–5.
[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), La 3:19–24.
[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Je 29:12–14.
[8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Heb 4:15–16.