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Blessed are Those Who Mourn

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”¹

The first step of a blessed life according to yesterday’s Encounter, is recognizing that we are poor in spirit, that we have a deep need in our lives caused by sin, which is why we need our Savior. The second step to a blessed life is to mourn over sin. This can seem irrational to the world, because how could mourning lead to a blessed life?!

The term mourn means “to experience deep grief.” In Matthew 5, Jesus has a theme of spiritual blessedness and here he seems to indicate that this mourning is due to grief over sin. We live in a fallen world and there is, or should be, a deep sense of mourning because of the sin, sorrow, and suffering in the world. One of the problems is that many have become desensitized to the problems around us. Perhaps it is because television, social media, and the internet in general have become a distraction. Perhaps we have seen so many commercials or heard radio announcements raising funds for certain causes, that we have learned to “tune them out”.

In the Bible we find Jeremiah who was known as the weeping prophet. He was one of the only ones who literally wept over the persistent sin and the coming destruction because of that sin. Jeremiah 9:1 says, “Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people.” Our Lord also mourned over this world. In the Bible we never read that Jesus laughed, but we do read that Jesus wept on at least two occasions. He wept with Mary and Martha over the death of Lazarus, and he wept over Jerusalem because they chose to stay in their lost condition and refused the opportunity to experience his peace. Jesus wept over the consequences they would suffer because they rejected Him (Luke 19:41-44).

The sin that we read about in Bible days is still the same today. Just like the people of Jerusalem suffered because they rejected Jesus, many people around us will suffer if they don’t come to know and accept the Savior. Do we mourn over the things that caused Jesus to weep? Do we feel moved into action when we see the suffering and pain around us? We have an urgent responsibility to share the Good News with our lost world. We do not have the luxury of waiting around in a state of comfort and negligence thinking that someone else will do the work that God has set before us. The promise in today’s passage is that we will be comforted. Jesus left us His Holy Spirit that will be our comforter during the good and bad times of life, and this is the Comforter who wants to live in the hearts of those lost in this broken world.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, forgive me for the times I have become distracted and lost focus of that which is important to you. Help me be aware of the need around me and spring into action whenever you give me the opportunity. Thank you for the blessing that comes from having your Holy Spirit to comfort me. Use me to reach as many as possible with your Good News. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1. Matthew 5:4 (NIV).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.