Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
When was the last time you mourned over someone or something?
There are days my heart is heavy over the things I see in this world–in politics, in the church, or in our country. I have mourned over the death of family members and pets, and the loss of relationships.
Sometimes as I mourned, I felt Jesus mourning with me, and other times I felt alone and unable to find peace or comfort. That didn’t mean Jesus wasn’t there. In the case of a few friendships, Jesus just let me cry it out until no more tears fell; then told me to let them go.
If you look at this verse from the standpoint of mourning or grieving over loss, you may always expect to be comforted. After all, Jesus promised comfort to the mourners.
Last week, I explained the meaning of the phrase Blessed are. It means, O the blessedness of or the gladness of…
If you combine O the gladness of with the phrase those who mourn, it doesn’t really make sense. Did Jesus really tell us that it is a blessed or a happy thing to mourn? How can we be happy while we are grieving?
Mourning is not exactly what I find happiness in.
However, the type of mourning Matthew 5:4 refers to is the kind of mourning we do over our sins.
That’s the kind of mourning God wants to hear and see. When we come to Him with remorse and repent for our lost tempers, unkind words, lies, or attitudes, among many others, He forgives us—then He comforts us.
He doesn’t hold our sin against us, send us on a guilt trip or condemn us, either.
I believe genuine remorse over our sin is a song in His ears. Why? Because He can now bury that sin in the deepest sea or as far as the east is from the west. He will never have to look at it again.
Genuine remorse over our sin is a song in the Lord’s ears. #ThisSideofHeaven #Blessedarethosewhomourn
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Jesus’ blood is the reason He can do that. One precious death for a multitude of sinners.
The Old Testament verse similar to Matthew 5:4 is Psalm 30:5.
Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 30:5 NLT
I can also see a bit of play on words in this verse…Joy comes with or in the mourning.
You see, repentance is a gift. True repentance starts with understanding our position as beggars (Poor in spirit) in total dependence on God’s grace and mercy.
If you have experienced a burden of sin lifted by God’s forgiveness, then you know the joy that comes next and the amazing gift you have been given.
It’s true – weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.
Stephanie, such an intriguing title and piece. I agree, “repentance is a gift.”
Thank you, Karen! Unfortunately, I don’t think many see it as a gift. God knows what our hearts and souls need better than we do.
Amen Ms Stephanie. Sometimes, mourning is used as a cleaning agent for our souls. I think it a sign of pure and true repentance. Wonderful post ma’am; thank you!
Yes, J.D. that is such a great point. Mourning has a cleansing effect on our hearts and souls. Thank you!
This is fabulous and 100% on target! Last year the Lord was talking to me about this very thing. He had me do a word study on the word “morning.” He pointed out that morning is the coming of first light—when light “dawns on us.” When in our walk with Him, when the light of the revelation of our sin comes and it finally “dawns on us” to repent, great joy comes as a result of mourning over our sin and coming to Him in repentance.
I love how the Lord confirms to us when He is speaking. It is a joy to know that you and I are both in sync with the heart of God in this. Excellent message, Stephanie! Keep mining the Word of God. You are finding gold! ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Julie! I agree with you, it is so cool when the Lord shows you how He is revealing a particular message to His children.
It is never wasted time to be in His Word.
I love it 🥰 joy come in mourning, and how very true is this statement. Because surrender usually comes after and with the mourning
Yes, it does. Once we surrender our will to His, we can have joy!
Thank you!
Excellent word, Stephanie.
Thank you, Diane!
Beautiful post. Love this–“If you have experienced a burden of sin lifted by God’s forgiveness, then you know the joy that comes next and the amazing gift you have been given.” Amen!
Thank you, LuAnn!