Joy Comes in the Mourning

"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 other times I felt alone and unable to find peace or comfort. That didn't mean Jesus wasn't there. With a few friendships, Jesus just let me cry it out until no more tears fell; then told me to let them go.

If you look at this verse from the standpoint of mourning or grieving over loss, then you may always expect Jesus to console you. After all, Jesus promised comfort to the mourners.

The meaning of the phrase Blessed are means, O the blessedness of or the gladness of...

If you combine O the gladness of with the phrase those who mourn, it doesn't really make sense. Did Jesus really tell us it is a blessed or a joyous 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 mourning we do over our sin.

That's the kind of 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 others, He forgives us—then He comforts us.

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

I believe genuine remorse over our sin is a song in His 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.

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

The Old Testament verse similar to 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 God gave you.

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

Copyright © 2021 Stephanie Pavlantos, used with permission.