Those Who Mourn – Beatitudes 2

Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 NLT) Last summer I led a graveside service for an old high school friend. We celebrated his life and we mourned his passing. Dennis lived a reasonably long life but his final months were difficult as he battled cancer. As his body aged, and the disease took its toll, he had to give up so many of the freedoms he had enjoyed for so many years! At the end, he was very ready to go on to the freedom on the other side. We move through life. We experience loss. We mourn. A dear one dies. A job finishes. A marriage fails. A career ends. A home filled with memories is gone. A friendship ends. A relationship is broken. Our bodies become less reliable. We can no longer do things we enjoyed. We feel alone, even when we’re with people. We mourn. So we tell ourselves, “Focus on the good stuff! Count your blessings! Be thankful for what you have!” True enough! We stay busy, we’ve got a lot to do, people are depending on us. True enough! So we put on a happy face, mostly. We do what has to be done and we do it with the best attitude we can muster. That’s all well and good! But we mourn! But we still mourn. We grieve. We have sorrow mixed in with our thankfulness, our busyness, our purposefulness. And we have these moments when we realize we have lost someone or something that meant so much to us and we’ll never get him or her or it back. We mourn!

God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 NLT) So right now, just stop for a moment! Face it, acknowledge it, and tell your Father that you’re feeling sad. Be specific about how you’re feeling and what loss you’re mourning. And ask your Father, the God of all comfort, to comfort you. Pray with me… Father, Thank you so much for all the good things in my life! I try to focus on the good, to look on the bright side, to live every day with purpose. But right now I’m mourning, I’m sad, and I need comfort. Embrace me by your Spirit, refresh my faith by your
Word, and make me aware of your care and your presence here with me now. And please send me a comfort with a human touch—something that has your fingerprints on it so I’ll know it’s you. In Jesus’ Name.