Blessed are they that Mourn | Matthew 5:4

*Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted."*

The word "mourn" means to grieve, and most often it is associated with death, but not always. If you have ever lost a loved one, then you know firsthand what this word means even if you were unaware of its definition.

Hannah's Comfort

Death isn't the only thing that causes us to mourn. Hannah was so grief-stricken over her inability to bear children that she couldn't even speak. Yet from her heart she cried out to God in her mourning, and He heard her. In just a few weeks her season of mourning ended with a season of comfort. It may seem there is no prospect for life, or at least a life you want to live, but "the LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart." "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning!"

The Emmaus Road

We have another example for those mourning the death of a loved one. Think of those men on the Emmaus road. They were mourning the death of the most perfect and precious Man to ever live. They had gone so far in their grief that they stopped believing that Jesus was even the Christ, but along the road a man came to walk beside them and reveal something to them in their mourning: that death had been defeated and the one they thought to be dead was alive. How their hearts burned within them when He spoke to them, and when they realized He was alive, they ran all the way back to town shouting the news, "He's alive! He's alive!" What happened? They were comforted. Many people's faith has been rocked by a seemingly untimely death, but in the midst of their mourning Jesus came along and reminded them that death is not final.

You Shall Be Comforted

Many have wrestled with heavy hearts over issues of life and death, but blessed are we, for we shall be comforted. In this life we will find grace needed to carry on, and in the life to come a comfort and rest we cannot imagine. If today you are mourning, you are blessed because God is near, and He will comfort you in the days to come. Look now to Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross..." He endured the cross because of the joy that was just beyond death. Follow His lead and endure your mourning for the comfort that comes afterward. Truly, blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.