Blessed are those who morn

For they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). Reading this, we might immediately think it refers to God comforting us when we mourn a loved one’s death. Of course, as believers we do experience God’s consolation in times of loss, but this is just one way the promise of the second beatitude is fulfilled. There are other reasons that the Lord’s people mourn in Scripture, and His promise to comfort our mourning applies to these situations as well.

First, we may experience the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit and mourn for our sin and its offense against our holy Creator. We see biblical examples of this in David’s repentance for his sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:1–23; Ps. 51) and the response of the Jewish pilgrims to Peter’s Pentecost sermon, when they were “cut to the heart” (Acts 2:1–41). This experience of mourning over sin is part of what it means to be “poor in Spirit,” tying the second beatitude nicely to the first one.

We may also mourn in the midst of suffering for the kingdom. Although we have a certain kind of joy in such trouble, Scripture is honest that this pain is real. Jeremiah mourned over the prosperity of the wicked and the afflictions of the righteous remnant of Israel (Jer. 12:1–4). Even Jesus was a “man of sorrows” who mourned the wickedness of the Israelites and suffered for His people (Isa. 53; Luke 13:34–35; 22:39–46). God’s comfort of His mourning people means that those who suffer for righteousness’ sake will receive an eternal reward (Matt. 5:12).

Though Jesus was a man of sorrows, He was able to endure suffering and pain because He knew that “out of the anguish of his soul” He would “see and be satisfied” (Isa. 53:11). We will never have to go through what Christ did, but we can look to God’s promise of comfort as a similar guarantee that we will one day see our mourning is not in vain. This, in turn, will help us to suffer for the sake of the kingdom of heaven in the here and now. www.ligonier.org

How do we perceive what our sin cost God? I remember sitting in the Manitowoc County Jail one night thinking about the verse where Jesus looked to heaven from the cross and exclaimed, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” Matthew 27:46. I was struck by what I had done. When Jesus asked the Father if it is possible, if there was any other way than to suffer and die for mankind, Matthew 26:38 – 40, he was telling us that His sacrifice was personal to us. If we truly felt our guilt, would we beg Jesus not to go to the cross? DO YOU SEE THE INJUSTICE OF IT ALL!

Do we mourn over what we have done? Are we called at times to mourn a price we are called to pay for the kingdom and are we willing to sacrifice to pay the cost (not my will but thine)? Remember the disciples could not stay awake one hour. We should morn for our weakness but rejoice in His comfort. Once we truly morn, then God will open the flood gates of his mercy and comfort and deluge us with love and assurance. We must not forget the promise of Romans 8:28.