Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Open Your Bible
Matthew 5:4, Isaiah 61:1-3, Romans 7:21-25, 2 Corinthians 7:8-10
BY Rebekah Lyons
Text: Matthew 5:4, Isaiah 61:1-3, Romans 7:21-25, 2 Corinthians 7:8-10
Fifteen years ago, during a bleak February chill, I awoke early and jumped in the shower, ready to head back to the hospital. I’d been without our firstborn son—still less than a week old—for almost eight hours. And it was killing me.
The phone rang, and I heard Gabe answer. I knew it was the doctor calling with the lab results. Sixty seconds crawled by before Gabe cracked open the bathroom door. Seeing the look on his face, I collapsed.
There will never be words to describe the pain I felt at that moment. I had no idea I was capable of such grief, yet there I was, wailing. I could not shed the anguish fast enough.
Gabe and I drove to the hospital in silence. I realized I didn’t know a single person with Down syndrome. I was ashamed I’d overlooked this community, a sorority of mothers whose children had Down syndrome—a sorority to which I now belonged.
Some people have been taught that the Christian life makes no room for sadness, gives no permission to mourn, allows no time for lament. This kind of mental toughness might seem a practical approach for immediate survival, but unexpressed grief can become a bitterness that chokes us. When we dull our pain, we dull our joy. When we numb our lows, we numb our highs.
Jesus has a different perspective on grief. He never lacked emotion or expression. He “was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). And in His impassioned Sermon on the Mount, He gives us this promise: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).
When we grieve—not if—we will be comforted.
Not long after His sermon, Jesus experienced this for Himself. “He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and He became anguished and distressed. He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me’” (Matthew 26:37).
Jesus wept from empathy, from disappointment, from pain. He mourned, and when He was finished mourning, He surrendered to the work of God—work that brought great freedom to all of us.
Since that fateful February morning, I’ve grieved with friends who have walked through fear and loss. Loss of love and marriage vows. Loss of sanity and peace. Loss of life, in the womb and out. And I’ve watched those same folks experience the death of their own will, and by His grace, receive Jesus’ comfort instead.
None of us wants to encounter such deep grief in our lifetimes. But the more we mourn our sin and need, pain and loss, the more we can trust and anticipate the gracious comfort Christ Jesus promises to bring.
111 thoughts on "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn"
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HI She’s!
Late in the day, but wanted to say thank you for the prayers! My pain has decreased today! (And pain group was really uplifting! So many good testimonies of how God IS there with us in the pain!) Which is relevant for today’s message. God will always use our pain to reveal his perfect love for us. He is good, and He is Just!
We must realize our sin, that we are outside of His will, and that then should grieve us. That He instantly cast away our sins when we come to Him in repentance should make us weep with great joy. Have you ever been forgiven when you know the person has every right to turn their back on you? It is so gutwrenchingly (new word) overwhelming! He is full of grace and we don’t deserve it. It saddens me how “Christians” (me) put other things on pedestals and importance (idols) and not reverence for an Almighty Creator. He is my joy, my strength, my song, my redeemer, my Lord of lords and King of kings! He is my Creator! Would I walk to the end of the earth sharing His name?! (Hm…sometimes I can’t even confess His glory to my family…!) -
Praying today for all my She sisters, and especially those with requests.
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I think that Jesus was talking about both kinds of grief: the grief that comes when we experience such a deep loss that comfort can only come from God; and the grief that comes from a broken heart when we realize our sins against God. I have experienced great human tragedy in my life, and like many of you, absolutely know that I could not have survived without the comfort that can only come from God. And I have suffered the grief that comes from realizing the depth of my sin, and truly grieving over the disconnect that came because of unconfessed grief. In one great tragedy, I clung to God, knowing and feeling Him walk with me and carry me through grief like I had never experienced. Then when another great tragedy in my life occurred, instead of clinging to God, I held onto anger and bitterness, and walked away from my faith for many years. Anger and bitterness are a really heavy weight when I don’t let God come along side to carry the burden (Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…Matt. 11:28-30). That kind of grief is truly unbearable, and because I wasn’t casting that heavy burden on Him, I was not finding rest for my soul. Instead, I was turning further away from the only One who could mend my broken heart. After a number of years living like that, I finally came to my senses (just like the Prodigal in the pig pen) and returned to my Father. My heart was broken over the sins I had committed. It was through suffering the grief that comes from realizing that I have broken my Father’s heart, yet He still loves me and is waiting for me to cast my burdens and my broken heart on Him that I found peace. God did wondrous things in my life after I laid the grief from a broken and repentant heart at the foot of the cross. I am so grateful that Jesus will comfort us after the death of a loved one AND the grief that comes from a heart that is broken due to sin.
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Grief feels like physical pain. I’ve felt it. My stomach was always clenched. My body was feeling the loss that was coming. My heart hurt after Tanner died. BUT GOD…was there every step of the way.
I also felt grief when I came to Jesus. That was way back in my 30’s. I would be in the fetal position on the floor wailing in grief for how I had been living. BUT GOD..once again was there.
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“Tragedies become stepping stones to the heart of God and His comfort.” -Dorothy Kelly Patterson
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Kristine, thank you for sharing that beautiful illustration of the oak trees and the reminder that everything is a season.
Mari V- thank you for taking time to pray for all of us today -
Good morning, sweet, sweet She’s. Just like Searching’s comment this morning, I too, and I’m sure most of us, if not all of us, when we have experienced deep pain, we actually feel “physical“ pain. I am thankful for Matthew 5:4, the promise that those of us who mourn will be comforted. We can believe this promise that when we experience pain, we WILL BE comforted. Many years ago, when I thought my heart was going come out of me, and actually felt physical pain “to the touch“ my God, my Jesus healed my broken heart. Now, whenever I experience pain, I just know that I know, that Jesus is with me and I will get through it because Jesus promises to be strong for me and I believe the promise of Matthew 5:4. Taking time this morning to pray for all of you.
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