Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4
We can take comfort in the fact that in our mourning, we can let go of ourselves, and the sins in our lives. Once we let go and give all that away, God will come in and take over and comfort us in ways of joy, peace and love. -Kristine Melius
5 comments:
I've learned over the years that one of the best tools for Bible study for me is the dictionary. By this point in my life there are so many words I've been using for decades meaning something to me but when I actually look up very common words in the dictionary I find my personal definition or usage is not at all the only definition and sometimes I'm flat out wrong. So checking on "mourn" I find that out of 6 entries on dictionary.com, only 3 apply to death, which is where my mind goes when I hear the word. But how about this defintion: "To feel or express sorrow or grief over misfortune, loss, or ANYTHING REGRETTED (my emphasis). To deplore." Grief is defined as "keen mental suffering;sharp sorrow;painful regret" AHA! Now this passage is making more sense to me. One commentator I read brought out that when we read this passage we should be thinking about what exactly we are mourning because not all human mourning is going to be blessed. For example a person might rightly (in the sense of the definition of mourn)be said to mourn the loss of his earthly fortune. Right? If we lost all our worldly goods we might very well mourn that in the sense of feeling sharp sorrow. But the Bible also tells us
Store not up for yourself treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy or thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19 (oops sorry to whoever is assigned that one.) So I think we need to first decide if we are truly mourning, or just upset or troubled or inconvenienced about something. Then we need to look at whether what is being mourned is something the righteous and godly or even Jesus himself would mourn. We know from the scripture that Jesus mourned for the death of Lazarus (even though He knew in moments he would fix that situation...but that's another discussion) so obviously death is appropriate to mourn. While the word mourn is not used in Matthew 23:37-39, I definitely get a sense of Jesus mourning:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,...how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you were not willing....For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say "blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord"
What I think He is mourning is sin and that is something we should all mourn or feel sharp sorrow over, whether our own personal sin or those of others. But the redeeming message of the Gospel is that by Jesus'sacrifice, our slate is wiped clean.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain...Revelation 21:4
So what we as Christians have from this passage is the marvelous promise that our mourning will be comforted. My personal experience and that I have seen displayed profoundly in people of great faith is that the comfort God gives can overcome ANY human suffering and replace it with the peace that surpasses all understanding.
I agree with Tracy's definition mourning. It can be any sadness or struggle. I think, overall, Jesus is using the Beatitudes to explain what's important in life, and where thing's of this world fall in the big picture of His kingdom. I think He's trying to tell How God views things differently than the world does, and how God carries His people through, and sometimes rewards His people for, their earthy circumstances and sufferings. In this particular verse, I believe He is referring to how God carries and comforts His people when they mourn. How He is with them and they are not alone. In being in the presence of God and being carried by Him, they are blessed.
I believe He comforts His people regardless of what they mourn. In being comforted by Him they are blessed.
I think our human tendency is often to seek comfort elsewhere before we seek comfort in the arms of Christ. I have to remember to pray and be still. I love the expression "Go to the throne before you go to the phone." The Comforter provides rest and perspective. Candy bars, the Internet, gossiping aren't comforting as much as medicating. God's grace can help us suffer well.
I think the hardest mourning is when I can't seem to see through my loved ones' salvation not happening quickly enough...why is it so hard to receive, and why is it taking so long? Then I get discouraged thinking, "What am I doing wrong, Father? Why is it taking so long?" I still don't have an answer, but I do my best to share Jesus when He brings His called ones my way one at a time. And it is a joy to see someone drawn closer to God and seeing the fruit of the Spirit grow.
I remember the first time I met Jesus, how I felt such a deep sorrow and painful mourning over my own sin. I asked God to show me how He sees me in need of a savior...it was painful to see the spiritual state I was in, a wretched filthy sinner who had no idea what sin was and how naked I was before God, and that I am nothing without Christ, Jesus. It was first time that I understood the weight of the sin and what it does to us. It does more than separating us from God, but it damages us and scars us. So my first love with God was the power of the blood of Jesus that saved me. And He is whom I learned the true meaning of forgiveness and Love. He turned my mourning over sin into joy.
The "knowing" of forgiveness and that I am now a child of God, the Heavenly Father, whom I will see one day, and the Comforter (Holy Spirit) who sealed me as His own. As promised, The Comforter comforts, counsels, and helps me and His body of Christ in all trials of this world. I am not alone, He is WITH me going through it all and lifts me up when I fall. I rise up in Christ, for He has already triumphed in victory over sin and death. Nothing and no one in this world can give me that kind of comfort! So my mourning is indeed turned into joy. What freedom it is knowing that my sin will be remembered no more, and that I will be in a glorified body with Christ. I praise Him for what He has done for me and come what may. He will turn our mourning into joy and comfort us when we run to Him. So I run...but I gotta run quickly! I love the song, "Put on the garment of praise from the spirit of heaviness. Let the oil of gladness fall down from Your Throne...." By Robin Mark.
"You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness above Your companions." (Hebrews 1:9 NASB)
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
(Isaiah 61:3 NIV)
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