Most of my life I desperately ran from sorrow and pain. But God turned everything upside down and revealed to me the joy in sorrow, the bliss in being broken-hearted. It can only be experienced when you know that you know that you know that God has you, that He redeems you–when you know the fire will not burn you, the flame will not consume you. There may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the mourning.
Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Why do I mourn?
Because I can see the the utter destruction of my sin–the spiritual, emotional, and financial toll as a direct result. If my sin wounds or hurts another, he may in-turn wound or hurt another–you see, the destruction of my sin is like a wave that has the power to affect many. My iniquity is before me and before my God–the Lover of my soul. Godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation without regret. Worldly sorrow produces death.
Why is there blessing for those who mourn?
When I have sinned grievously and shame is coming from the east and from the west, I start to crawl to the cross. Then I see His light and i get up and walk; then I run to the cross–I don’t invite Him into my heart, I beg Him to be my Lord. His grace is sufficient–He nails the shame to the cross–I celebrate His grace that He may grow my character to be like Jesus, that I may be free, that I can walk in all the love, all the peace, and all the joy the Father has apportioned for His sons and daughters. Hallelujah.
Psalm 107:17-22 “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!
The blood of the Christ redeems. What joy. What comfort. Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory! Father, fill us with godly sorrow and grant us repentance–we want to live, and live abundantly. Every good thing we have is from You.
The word used for mourn (penthein) is one of the strongest words for mourning in the Greek language and is often associated with the type of sorrow that leads to weeping. It is the sorrow that deeply pierces the heart; it is no gentle, sentimental sadness, it is the sorrow which can visibly be seen in a man’s bearing, in his face, and in his tears. It is a sorrow man displays to the world and to God, because he cannot keep from doing so.
If a man chooses to live as if nothing mattered beyond this world, then he gets all that the world has to offer. But if he chooses to live in the conviction that there is something far more important beyond this world, then in this world he may meet all kinds of trouble, in this world’s standards he may be considered a failure, but in him is a joy which this world cannot give.
[Adapted from “The Beatitudes & The Lord’s Prayer For Everyman,” by William Barclay]
