Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

~Matthew 5:4 ESV

 

When was the last time you mourned over someone or something?

.

.

.

There are days my heart is heavy over the things I see in this world–in politics, in the church, or in our country. I have mourned over the death of family members and pets and the loss of relationships.

Sometimes as I mourned, I felt Jesus mourning with me, and at other times, I felt alone and unable to find peace or comfort. That didn’t mean Jesus wasn’t there. In the case of a few friendships, Jesus just let me cry it out until no more tears fell, then told me to let them go.

You may always expect to be comforted if you look at this verse from the standpoint of mourning or grieving over a loss. After all, Jesus promised comfort to the mourners.

A few weeks ago, I explained the meaning of the phrase Blessed are. It means, “O the blessedness of,” “the gladness of,” or we could say “happiness is . . .”

If you combine Happiness is with the phrase those who mourn, it doesn’t really make sense. Did Jesus really tell us that it is a blessed or a happy thing to mourn? How can we be happy while we are grieving?

Mourning is not exactly what I find happiness in.

However, the type of mourning Matthew 5:4 refers to is the kind of mourning we do over our sin.

That’s the mourning God wants to hear and see. When we come to Him with remorse and repent for our lost tempers, unkind words, lies, or attitudes, among many other things, He forgives us—then He comforts us.

He doesn’t hold our sin against us, send us on a guilt trip, or condemn us.

I believe genuine remorse over our sin is a song in the Lord’s ears. Why? Because He can now bury that sin in the deepest sea or as far as the east is from the west. He will never have to look at it again.

Genuine remorse over our sin is a song in the Lord’s ears.

~Stephanie Pavlantos, author of Happiness is Holiness

Jesus’ blood is the reason He can do that. One precious death for a myriad of sinners.

The Old Testament verse like Matthew 5:4 is Psalm 30:5.

Weeping may last through the night,  but joy comes with the morning.

~Psalm 30:5 NLT

I can also see a bit of play on words in this verse. Joy comes with or in the mourning.

You see, repentance is a gift. True repentance starts with understanding our position as beggars (poor in spirit) in total dependence on God’s grace and mercy.

If you have experienced a burden of sin lifted by God’s forgiveness, then you know the joy that comes next and the amazing gift you have been given.

It’s true weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Have you experienced JOY after repenting?

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your gift of salvation. Help me to understand the gift of repentance You gave–that it is truly a gift. Thank You for the promise of comfort. You are a good and holy Father. Thank You for all Your blessings. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Genre: Bible Study

Copyright 2021: Joy Comes in the Mourning: Stephanie Pavlantos: All Rights Reserved