Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4
Mourning is the kind of grief that cannot be hidden. It can be a deep sorrow
for our own unworthiness that leads us to trust the Lord as our total Provider,
seeking His presence and counsel (authority). Such action is rewarded by the
Father’s gracious comfort.
It can also be for grief over the sorrow and suffering of this world. Blessed
is the man who cares intensely for the sufferings, sorrows and needs of others.
And so again we can paraphrase this Beatitude:
Blessed are those whose hearts are broken for the world’s suffering and
are deeply sorry for their sin and unworthiness, for they will find the joy and
comfort of God.
As we meditate on this, what comes to mind is the need to mourn for the state
of the church and Christians generally. In many countries, churches are weak and
nominal, or are split by internal conflicts. There is need to mourn. There is
need to mourn also for believers who have quit the struggle and crossed to the
other side.
Mourn for the poor quality of preaching, the lack of prayer and the
deficiency of spiritual power. Mourn for those who come to the church only to
find they are unwelcome. Mourn for Christians unwilling to introduce the light
of Christ to them. Mourn for a church hiding its light, too scared to let it
shine. Yes, there is much to mourn for. Yet, the promise is, if we mourn,
comfort will come.
A self-sufficient Bible trainer from the West, spent time in China with young
leaders needing biblical training. He felt inadequate at first but later wrote,
“As I left them, I wept. I wept because I had to go back to a world where God
was not taken half as seriously. I wept to return to a church where if I do not
insert enough clever illustrations, eyes glaze over and no one listens to my
talks. I wept to go back to a world of unread Bibles and dry eyes. I wept to
return to a lifestyle that would regard me as mad if I kept trying to rise at
4.30 a.m. for prayer. I wept because I really wanted to stay with those fifty
teachers and learn to love God as they did.”
RESPONSE: Today I will repent of my self-sufficiency.
PRAYER: Lord, I truly mourn over my own sin and unworthiness. And I mourn
too for the deep and painful suffering that I see around our globe. May I
receive Your joy and comfort.
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