Blessed Mourning

Have you ever carried deep pain or sorrow in your heart? Maybe because of something or someone you lost, maybe a deep regret from something in your past, or the pain of having your trust betrayed by someone close to you. Mourning is painful. Never happy. This is why Jesus’ saying in Mathew 5:4 piqued my interest because of how oxymoronic it sounded.

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

Mourning is not the time one thinks about happiness. It certainly isn’t the time one feels blessed either. Blessing is usually associated with material things like that new car or phone. It is even associated with relationships. But why would Jesus say that?

The Bible doesn’t ignore the aspect of pain. It is a reality of life. We cannot and should not deny it either. Just like we would take care of a physical wound when we feel it. Or further, a physical wound is a sign of something not being the way it should be. Emotional pain is also a sign that things are not as they should be. We would do well to take care of it.

Everyone experiences pain differently and in varying degrees. But each one’s pain is known only to themselves. My son sometimes will cry for things that may seem so trivial to me, but that shouldn’t lead me to discount his pain. Part of being a father is knowing how to comfort my child during their pain.

And so, here’s Jesus revealing this aspect of the God’s Kingdom where he comforts those who mourn. And God wants us to express that pain even in prayer. Take a look at Job expressing his pain when he lost practically everything in life inspire of being certified by God as righteous.

““If only my anguish could be weighed and all my misery be placed on the scales! It would surely outweigh the sand of the seas— no wonder my words have been impetuous. The arrows of the Almighty are in me, my spirit drinks in their poison; God’s terrors are marshaled against me.”

Job 6:2-4, NIV

Or look at what David says when he simply couldn’t get over why things keep going wrong, facing struggles in his mind and criticism from people around.

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”

Psalm 13:1-4, NIV

Not only does God invite us to express that pain, we find that he can feel o pain. This is because when Jesus lived on this earth, he didn’t insulate himself from the pain. While holiness, innocence, and goodness personified was nailed on the cross and writhed in pain, he exclaimed, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”

Can you relate to that? Sometimes in our pain, we tend to feel abandoned and isolated even from those closest to us. In our pain, we often tend to lose sight of the future, and hope. There are many of us who smile while carrying deep sorrow in our hearts. During such times, we need a clarity of vision. A vision of how things can be, because pain is telling us something is wrong.

Pain shows us that we are not in control of our lives. Exposes our limitations, our dependencies, our loves. We dont like that. We look for answers to gain some control over our thoughts, to understand the situation. When no answer is found, we get angry, resentful, bitter. Unable to receive even from those closest to us. If we are unable to accept the pain, we will not be able to receive the comfort. These are moments when we feel distant. Estranged even from God.

In your pain, God promises comfort. He promises to never leave you alone even if you can’t feel him or you feel so far away from him.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14:16-18, 20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Have you ever experienced God’s comfort? Wen was the last time we actually allowed him to do that? The reality is many of us understand it intellectually that he is our comforter, but have we allowed him to comfort us? Care for our souls? Have we poured out our hearts to him, wept in His presence and allowed him to cradle our soul, soothe our pain and bring comfort to us?

You are not alone. In your mourning, in your pain, you will find comfort. That’s His promise.