“Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4
I have heard this verse for as long as I can remember and always just thought it to be talking about mourning over a loved one that has passed away. But recently God showed me how there are lots of things we can mourn over.
The word mourn means “ to feel deep sorrow, to show great concern, or to deplore some existing wrong”. So to apply that to our Christian walk we should be sensitive, sympathetic, tenderhearted, and alert to the needs of others.
God has started showing me that it’s ok to mourn over things and is opening my eyes to things that I should be mourning over. We have always heard that whatever breaks God’s heart should break our hearts-and as we know there are many things in this world that break God’s heart.
The verse tells us we will be blessed(happy). I know for me, I question sometimes how it is possible to be both sad and “blessed” at the same time. That is my human way of thinking and I have to look at it in a different way.
One definition I read of blessed is “happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous-with life joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of outward conditions.” That sounds like a pretty great way to live, huh? The only way I can be blessed has to do with my relationship with God-that is what makes it possible to be both sad and happy at the same time. Even though the world is not right, our joy should come from the Lord and knowing that one day all the sorrows will be no more.
God is showing me that I need not ignore the things that give me sorrow. Instead I need to turn to Him with the things that break my heart, cover the issue with prayer and know that God sees it too. I have really been mourning over the decay of our country lately. It breaks my heart to see how my country wants to take God out of everything. Do you ever think back to the Old Testament and remember how God warned the Israelites time and again not to turn their backs on Him? Does that sound familiar to you with things going on today? There are other things I mourn, but summing it up in one category “taking God out” is quicker than listing them all.
The awesome part of this verse is the promise of God’s comfort. A comparison that comes to mind is this-picture your child seeing another child being neglected or picked on. Your child stands up for and/or comforts that hurt child. As a parent you comfort your child when they share with you the pain they felt for the hurt child; but you are also proud of them and their heart that they recognized a wrong doing. That’s how I picture God seeing us when we mourn over things that break his heart also. God will be there to comfort us just like you would comfort your own child.
So in conclusion, what do you mourn? Is it your country, salvation of a loved one, divorce, death of a loved one? Stay strong in the Lord and feel His comfort. Is God putting something on your heart to be “broken” about and cover it in prayer?
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