Blessed Are Those Who Mourn


Meditation

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

I heard an unbeliever once say that Christians shouldn’t mourn for a saved loved one who passes away. He questioned, if we believe we’ll see them again in heaven, why mourn now? He thought the verse should read ‘blessed are the merry.’ After all, aren’t Christians always supposed to be happy? However, even Christ himself mourned. He mourned over Lazarus even though he was going to resurrect him only moments later. He also mourned over Jerusalem’s unbelief just before he entered the city to shouts of Hosanna. Finally, he mourned over his impending death even though he knew it meant he would be reunited with the Father.
It’s not just about the death of a loved one that we mourn. We can be depressed over many aspects of life. We will mourn the loss of a job, an accident that causes the loss of physical abilities, or a friend who betrays us. Betrayal is one of the most common reasons people will mourn. It’s those closest to us that are usually the culprits and we are blindsided by their actions. I mourned deeply when my wife asked for a divorce after 18 years of marriage. In this life, the list of things we grieve over can be endless.
There are many reasons to mourn and there is nothing wrong with mourning. I’ll never let anyone tell me I’ve mourned long enough. The most important thing for me to remember is my comfort is only and always found in the Lord. The difference between an unbeliever and me is the comfort I receive in the Lord. He heals my broken heart, he gives me peace when no one else can, and he blesses me in my grief. I can’t even imagine anymore, losing a loved one without having the Lord to comfort me. Since giving my life to him, I’ve lost several family and friends. Their passing was always extremely difficult, and I mourned each loss with my whole heart, but the Lord was always with me.
Regardless of the reason for our mourning here on earth, it will all come to an end when we pass from this life. There will be no more sorrows, no more tears when we get to heaven. If we have given our lives to Christ before we die, we have the blessed hope of eternity with him. When we enter the gates of heaven, all our grief and sorrows will be left behind.





Prayer Time

 Heavenly Father we love the way you take care of us. Not like a doting parent, supplying our every whim, never saying no, and never disciplining us. We are fallen creatures and need to be guided, not coddled. We need to be corrected when we have fallen into sinful behavior. You are always steady and just with us in every way, always looking out for our best interests. You have guided us out of the darkness and into your glorious light. You are fair in your discipline when we turn back to the darkness. You take care of us when we’re up on the mountain, and everything is going fine. You also are with us when we’re in the valley, and we’re in the midst of some kind of loss. Once we have confessed Christ as our Lord, we know our mourning is only temporary, and an eternity with you to look forward to. We thank you for caring enough about us to save us, yes, but also for the comfort you provide when we lose a loved one. In those times of loss, we can lean on your Word to give us the blessing we need to go on. Thank you, Lord, we love you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
Location: Niagara Falls, NY, USA

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