Sinking in Grief: How God Lifts You Up When You Feel Like You’re Drowning

Grief can feel like drowning—pulled into the waters of darkness, lungs burning, vision foggy, and the light fading with every second you sink. You reach for air, light, and relief, but the undertow’s pull is too strong.

And you wonder, God, is there any other way?

Jesus Understands Sorrow

Consider Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Even He asked God this question.

Jesus said to His disciples, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.” Then He fell facedown and pleaded, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:38–39, CSB).

The word Gethsemane means “oil press”—a place that symbolized the crushing agony Jesus endured. He carried the weight of humanity’s sin and anticipated the suffering of the cross—something we can’t fully comprehend.

Yet we do know what it means to be deeply grieved.
We’ve whispered prayers like:

“My child is sick.”
“I’m grieving this diagnosis.”
“I feel the sorrow of divorce.”

Jesus Didn’t Skip the Pain—And Neither Do We

Jesus didn’t bypass the grief. He carried it all.
He understands how crushing it feels to wrestle with sorrow and beg for relief.

But still—He surrendered:

“Yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Matthew 26:39)

Jesus endured grief with faith.
He suffered, but remained fiercely committed to God’s will—even when it didn’t make sense.

You Can Surrender Your Sorrow, Too

Like Jesus, we can bring our pain to God and choose trust in the middle of it.

Even if the sorrow remains, even when the answer is not what we asked for, God gives us the strength to endure what feels unbearable.

Luke 22:43 (CSB) tells us, “Then an angel from heaven appeared to him, strengthening him” in the Garden of Gethsemane.

When You’re Drowning in Grief, Remember This

If you’re sinking in grief and questioning what God has allowed, know this:

Jesus sees you.
He knows your grief.
He will reach down, grab your hand, and lift you up when you feel like you’re drowning.

Not always by removing the sorrow—but by rescuing you in the middle of it.

Jesus, the One who walked through grief, is in the water—reaching for your hand.

Additional Verses for Comfort and Strength

Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.
—Isaiah 53:4–5 (CSB)