As we continue in our B-Attitudes (The Beatitudes) Series let’s look at the next verse. It is:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5: 4
The word used in this context is a deep type of mourning, not just a little bit of sorrow. The Greek word used here is the strongest word that could be used in this language.
Those who mourn in this context are ones who are lamenting over sins that have been committed. After reading about this I asked this question:
When was the last time we have mourned over sin and its effects?
I remember doing that when I first received Jesus as Lord and Savior. I think I repented of every sin from birth to my current age of 21, back then. I had such a sense of deep sorrow within for all that I had done wrong. I can remember sobbing and sobbing for a good while.
Looking back, it was a special time of cleansing. It was a true repentance, because I turned away from my sin and turned toward living for God and yielding to His plan and purpose for my life thereafter. I then planted myself in a good church, and to reading the Bible, and prayer. I was so hungry for the Word of God and to know Him deeper. That hunger has grown in me through the years. I am so very thankful for that!
In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah spoke of the year of the Lord’s favor. He spoke it forth saying, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives...to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion…” Isaiah 61: 1-2
He was describing Jesus and His promise to love and minister to His hurting and wounded people. That call is now upon us, His church, His followers. We can now comfort others with the comfort of the Lord we received.
If you are mourning the loss of someone or something, be encouraged that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He shall comfort us.
In fact, there is an entire section in the book of Isaiah that is entitled “Comfort for the Contrite.” God says, “I live in a high and holy place but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite…I will guide him and restore comfort to him, creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel.” Isaiah 57: 15, 18-19
What is this saying?
If you are in a low place of remorse, or if you are feeling crushed in your spirit, right now, God is living there with you. He will guide, restore, and comfort you, returning you to a place of praise.
He promises this as His Word:
“I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Jeremiah 31: 13
Sorrow won’t last forever, my friends, because joy comes in the morning. Great is His faithfulness morning by morning.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on My Beloved’s Voice
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