Blessed are (III) those who mourn, for they shall be comforted

People ask “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Well for a start, nobody but God is good (Mark 10:18). And knowing that we are not good is part of being poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3). But certainly, and this is what lies behind the question, not everything that happens to a person is a consequence of something that person has done. Nevertheless, since the default is to blame, it makes sense in these seasons, to ask if there is something I have done to cause, or contribute, to this difficulty, or if there is something I can either do or stop doing, that will make the situation better. The other thing to say, before we look more closely at this verse, is to ask ourselves if we have grieved our losses in a way that brings us through our grief. The word “mourn” means to allow ourselves to experience deep grief. And many of us do not grieve properly, either suppressing it, or getting stuck in one of the five various stages that have been identified denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. There is much to say about these things.

But the context of this morning's verse (mourning's verse :), Matthew 5:4), has to do with the spiritual side of it all. In particular the primary application is about grieving over our sin. And again we can get this wrong. I see it all the time in the prison ministry (but also in the church), that people can grieve either that our wrong choices have bad consequences, wishing it was not so, or that they are sorry that they got caught. On the other hand, the Scripture talks about godly sorrow, godly grief that leads to repentance not to be regretted of (2 Corinthians 7:10). This is not “sorry I got caught,” it is deep sorrow that I could do, or not do such a thing. And it leads to no regret, because, because of His mercy I have turned to Him, and I have received forgiveness and cleansing. But it is also that He use even my sin to draw me ever closer to Him in gratitude and love, for all that He has done, and continues to do, in my life.

C.S. Lewis once said that God shouts to us in our pain, calling out to us to draw close to Him. And this is whether it is our sin that we are mourning, or that we are mourning some happenstance of life or some loss. The Bible tells us that God is the God of all comfort, and so in the end, all comfort comes from Him. And we are blessed in and by this comfort, and it extends the Kingdom, since we can share with people who are suffering both the God of all comfort, and also about the comfort He beings

Father, thank You for Holy Spirit who convicts us of sin righteousness and judgement. I want to get out of the way every thing in me that displeases You before we meet face to face on that Day. Thank You that You are far more willing to lead us in this that we are to sit still before You the Master potter. Let me be as workable clay in Your hand Lord, in Jesus Name Amen