Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.
Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, and life dishes out its share of hardships and trials. Everyone will have to face problems, and sometimes those problems are tragic. It could be the loss of a job, sickness, loss of a loved one, or any number of things that weigh down our hearts. Loss is heavy on the heart and each of us will have times of mourning.
We all will go through these times, but where we turn when our hearts are heavy determines how it affects us. Many years ago, two different mothers in our church lost a child. One mother became bitter and angry at God. Years later, she was still struggling and had a bitter spirit. The other mother mourned greatly, but she leaned on the Lord. A few years later, she reflected on her loss. She said, “I wouldn’t ever want to go through this again, but it made me a better person and gave me a deeper faith. I miss my son everyday, but it has also shown me the depth of God’s love.”
Other losses produce similar results. People are wounded in church and either turn their backs on God, or turn to Him. The same is true for relationships, careers, and other things in life we value. Those who trust in God’s comfort find a strength that others do not experience.
One of the tragic failures in the church is when someone blames the sufferer. “You must have done something to cause God’s judgment,” I have heard people say. When my grandfather became ill, the people whom my grandmother expected to lean on for encouragement gave her words that added to the weight of her burden. Some church members told her, “You are the reason he can’t get out of that bed. If you had more faith, you could raise him up.”
I find that ironic. When the paralyzed man was brought before Jesus in Mark 2, the Bible says that when Jesus saw the faith of his friends, Jesus healed the bedridden man. So, if we are going to make this into a principle for healing, it is my grandfather’s friends that lacked faith. But that isn’t the principle for healing. Not every event is the way God works in everyone’s life. Even so, our primary goal is to comfort those who hurt – not to burden them. Look at 2 Corinthians 1:3–4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Those who follow the Lord are called to comfort those in distress, not to point condemning fingers at them. Have people not heard of Job’s trials? His friends condemned him, blaming Job for some secret sin in his life. In the end, the Lord condemned Job’s friends and praised Job’s faithfulness. Thankfully, we are not dependent on people for our comfort. When King David found himself in a very difficult place in life and people were blaming him, David encouraged himself in the Lord. (1 Samuel 30:6).
When we are emotionally distressed and struggling, it may seem like God is distant, but that is just our emotions blocking our view. The truth is that God is near, and invites us to rest in His love. Look now at Psalm 34:18
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
The strength of the Lord carries us when we cannot stand up to our circumstances. God’s promise is to sustain you, and give you both a soft place to land, and a firm foundation to rise back to your feet after your time of mourning. Look at the promise of Psalm 55:22
Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.
This is what Jesus is referring to during His Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. That comfort is yours. This is true regardless of what may be the cause of your mourning. Those who will believe and turn to His promise will be comforted, strengthened, and will one day look back and realize that their hardship did not have the power to move their life away from God’s purpose for them.
Some look at the promise that the righteous will not be moved and ask, “What if I’m not righteous?” This promise applies to any who believe God and put their trust in Him. When God gave Abraham a promise, the Bible says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to Him for righteousness.” In other words, God put the Lord’s own righteousness onto Abraham’s account. Then Abraham was righteous for no other reason than the fact He stood upon faith. This is why the Bible says that Jesus was credited with your sin, and you become the righteousness of God in Him. In faith, you possess the righteousness of God; therefore, these promises are yours!
As God comforts you, and then starts building you back up in His strength, you will one day have the type of testimony where people are amazed at how you are able to stand strong during the trials of life.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you should not mourn. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn…” When we find ourselves in a time of great loss, we mourn with hope, and that hope is based on trusting God with our loss, and leaning upon His strength.
You will be comforted, and then you will be a comforting testimony to others!