Blessed Are They That Mourn

 

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. 

Seasons

I realize that in this blog there are quite a few days 

where I have said nothing at all. I had a mental breakdown.

Do you know how hard it is to say that? It is an admission 

of helplessness. Doctors couldn't diagnose me correctly.

Doctor after doctor referred me to psychiatrists 

because they thought I was crazy or depressed.

Though depression attacks me now and then,

I do not live in a state of depression.

A mental breakdown used to be called a nervous breakdown.

Either is appropriate.

I was also told to do my own research.

The internet is the 'information highway'. 

It is also the 'misinformation highway'.

In order to find the right pages, 

you need the right doctor.

So I called on Dr. Jesus,

and He sent His Holy Spirit

to guide me in all my ways.

I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia.

I have been diagnosed with Osteoarthritis.

So, I am learning to live with pain.

I adapt.

Doctors do not want to hear that.

I don't want to say it.

But it's true.

Why hide behind a mask of "everything's fine",

when it really isn't?

Here I sit, at my little desk,

in my comfy chair and foot rest,

sharing my life and my heart with

whoever chooses to listen.

Some days there will be many posts.

And some days there might be nothing at all.

Seasons of life. Seasons of hope.

Seasons of pain. Seasons of joy.

This is my season of sharing.

May you be blessed.

Horn of Salvation

(this teeshirt is available for purchase at Vineyard Athens.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in Whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. Psalm 18:2

(this devotion is part of the JESUS IS series)

According to Strong's, the horn described here is long and straight, about 18"; bright and clear sounding; pure white; a corner of the altar; ray of light.

When we cling or grab hold to Jesus, we are holding on to His mercy, His deliverance, His strength. We claim that whatever trial/situation/circumstance we are currently in is for His glory, that God would be revealed in the endurance and outcome of hardships and storms.

David wrote this Psalm after God had delivered him from the hand of his enemies, from the hand of Saul, who sought David's life and wanted to end it. There are moments in our lives that seem to go on forever. These moments may only last minutes. But many times our circumstances/trials/situations last longer.

Tragedy and loss in life has a traumatic impact on the human body. The mind has suffered a grievous shock and shuts down to recuperate. The heart breaks and shatters beyond human repair. The spirit shakes and retreats to a place of safety and shelter. But the soul is secure in it's knowledge that Jesus is near. He's just a whisper away. My Comforter is here and my Deliverer is near.

Friends. Lovers. Divorce. Death. Loss. Tragedy. Grief. Sorrow. Pain. Growth. Life. Love. Hope.

As a wise man once said, "We are not starting over, we are turning pages to the next chapter."

Hiding Place

Psalms 91

I live in the secret place of the Most High where I abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I say of my Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress: my God; in Him I trust. He delivers me from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He covers me with His feathers, and under His wings I trust: His Truth is my Shield and my Buckler.

I shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies (in my direction) by day; I shall not be afraid of the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor am I afraid of the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it shall not come near me. (All around me is death and destruction. The tongue kills quicker than the sword.) Only with my eyes shall I look and see the reward of the wicked. Because I have made the Lord, which is my Refuge, even the Most High, my habitation. My home, my dwelling place; therein shall no evil befall me, neither shall any plague come near my dwelling.

For He gives His angels charge over me, to keep me in all His ways. His angels bear, lift, me up in their hands, preventing my destruction against the stones. I tread, heavily walk upon, the lion and the adder: the young lion and the dragon I trample under my feet. (Another section of the Bible says, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel." After walking on snakes and lions, I still have pretty feet.)

Because I have set my love upon Him, my Lord, He will deliver me: He will set me on high, because I have known His Name. I will call on Him, and He will answer me: He will be with me in troubled times; He will deliver me, and honor me. With long life will He satisfy me, and show me His salvation.