Matthew 5:4
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
From The Topical Lexicon:
The verb appears ten times in the Greek New Testament and consistently depicts profound sorrow that is either godly—aligned with repentance and dependence on The Lord—or worldly, lamenting the loss of earthly pleasure and prosperity.
In Genesis 37:34 Jacob mourned the loss of his son Joseph. Here the word mourn is associated with a visible display of personal bereavement (grief, sorrow, sadness, trauma, deprived of someone's presence). It is a heartfelt, vocal state of being.
He tore his clothes. He put on sackcloth, a coarse, uncomfortable fabric usually used for bags and sacks that held grains. He mourned: he lamented, bewailed. His cries of pain, suffering, and loss were impossible to ignore and yet he could not be silenced. Cries of irreparable grief at the suddenness of this calamity on his son filled the air. His heart was broken and his plans for his son were shattered into nothing.
This is the state of mourning in a seeker's heart when they come to God through the cross of Christ. We recognize that we are unholy, unrighteous, unable to save ourselves. We throw ourselves on The Rock, begging God to forgive us. The stained garment of flesh which clothes us is inappropriate to wear in His holy presence. We need Jesus to cover us with Himself. And He can only do so when we ask Him into our hearts and give Him the reins of our lives.
This mourning, this lamenting, over the ruination of our souls brings us to Jesus on the cross, Jesus in the tomb, and Jesus in the garden. It is in the cross we are saved. In the tomb we are conquerors over death. In the garden we are clothed with resurrected bodies, we are covered with grace and salvation.
In such a state of mourning God does not leave His flock. He sends us His Comforter to teach us how to be His holy people. To teach us what it means to live a righteous life; to live the fruit of The Spirit. [Galatians 5:22,23]. To fill us with power to witness of God's saving grace through Jesus Christ that we may carry the message of this blessed Hope to all nations. [Acts 1:8; 2:1-4].
The Lord God comforts us in times of sorrow and grief. He fills us with His Hope, His Peace, His Joy, His Love, His Presence. Through His Holy Spirit God fills us with more of Himself, taking away the darkness of loss and replacing it with The Light of His Love.
And, not wanting to see anyone perish in their ruination, we speak The Truth, proclaiming to all who hear, that Jesus Christ is Lord. Come to Jesus. And Live.
