Day 21

Day 21

Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

This short little passage has always puzzled me. I have often asked myself why Jesus would talk about mourning in the beatitudes. Is there more to it than the extreme pain we experience when we lose a loved one, or is that alone enough of a reason?

Twenty months ago, my wife of 31 years was diagnosed with terminal cancer; just 7 months later she went to be with the Lord. We mourned. But not everyone has experienced such pain, and Jesus is here for all, so maybe there are other forms of mourning. Maybe He's also speaking of the intense emotional pain we can’t help but feel when a loved one makes poor choices in life or the feelings of separation when a loved one has gone off to war or a foreign land to serve in missions. It could even be the pain of our children moving on, possibly out of the area and taking our grandchildren with them, the hurt in our hearts when we see the abuse of children, and so on. Yes, the loss of a loved one is painful, yet so is all of life–if we care–and daily we mourn for the loved ones around us and seek comfort in one form or another. Jesus is telling us in this passage that we will be comforted. What great hope we have, yet what is this comfort He speaks of, is it financial, emotional or physical, and is it miraculous or mundane? The word comforted here is best translated as, "to call to one's side, to summon." This is the promise for us in Christ, when we mourn He will come to our aid, He will stand by our side, and He will comfort us!

Can there be a greater peace than to know that the God who created the heavens and the earth and the great seas and stars is coming to our aid in time of need? After my wife’s death, I would often awake in the night crying out for comfort, for a touch, and on every occasion He was there. Often we struggle with such a concept, our worthiness, His ability, or questions like “Why trouble such a great God with my trivial pain?” Yet, He is asking today, ‘Why not?’ Jesus is telling us, if you mourn, you will be comforted–just like that. And even though we want to read much more into it and come up with a hundred what ifs, how about just accepting His promise for what it is–a promise? I would ask today, “Are you ready to admit your hurts and receive the comfort of the great King, or maybe you know someone else who is struggling with this promise today? If so, take action, after all, it is His promise.

Daily Prayer: Father God, may we accept your truths, walk in your promises, and receive gladly the gifts you have for each of us. Amen.

"God can carry the world–we can only live in it."

Gene Burroughs, Servant