I shared last week that I thought it might be a good idea for us to look at the beatitudes this summer…which can be found in Matthew 5. Each of these beatitudes tell us how to be blessed. “Blessed” means more than happiness. These beatitudes don’t promise laughter, pleasure or earthly prosperity. To Jesus, “blessed” means having hope and joy, independent of outward circumstances. To find hope and joy, which is the deepest form of happiness, we need to follow Jesus no matter what the cost.
Hopefully, as we look at a beatitude each week, it will help us to understand how we can experience this hope and joy that Jesus speaks of…regardless of what is happening around us. Yes, even when our world seems unhinged.
This week we are exploring the second beatitude and I will share it from the New International version of the Bible…and then from the version The Message…which puts it in today’s language.
Matthew 5:4 in the NIV reads: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”.
The Message reads: "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”
Too often we read this beatitude and think it is just talking about when we lose someone by death. But that’s not the case. As I said last week, life isn’t always easy and there are many ways we can feel loss and dealing with the pain can be most difficult.
2 Corinthians 1:3-5, also in The Message, is a great scripture to help us understand this verse and develop this particular attitude:
“All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.”
Many think that when God comforts us, our troubles should go away. But if that were always true, people would turn to God only out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for Him. We need to understand that being comforted can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles. The more we suffer, the more comfort God gives us.
This has been proven in my life over and over again. As many of you know, I have a disorder that causes my body to go “out of whack” easily. It never happens at a convenient time…because pain is never convenient. There is never a good time to hurt and if I had my way, God would heal me and allow me to function more easily. But so far that hasn’t been His will for my life and as a result, I have a much greater empathy for those who are also suffering.
I can’t tell you the number of times when others have come to me because they are also hurting. They too are facing burdens that at times, seem unbearable. They also know what pain is like, whether it is physical, emotional or spiritual…and oftentimes they just need to hear that they are not alone; that what they are facing, I have also faced…and I can attest to the faithfulness of my Jesus. I can’t take their pain away…but I can be the one to help comfort and remind them that they are not alone.
If my pain can bring Him glory…I know it will be worth it. But remembering that isn’t always easy when I’m in the “trenches” of hurt. It’s at that moment, when God often brings someone alongside me to encourage, uplift and point me back to Jesus…because they have also known pain in their life. You see, God often uses others to bring His comfort to us, because He knows that as humans…knowing we aren’t alone can make a world of difference on our journey.
"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”
I don’t know what you may have lost today. It may be loss of health, loss of a relationship, loss of a loved one, loss of security or even loss of emotional stability. Whatever is making you feel overwhelmed today, allow God to comfort you. Allow others to walk this road with you so they can point you to Jesus. And remember, every trial you endure will help you comfort other people who are going through similar troubles…so while you are looking up to your Jesus…look around for those who may not know to look to Him.
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