Hello ,
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4
Every one of us has a story...and some of those stories can be quite tragic. Many of those stories include profound loss and grief that we could have never (previously) imagined.
Divorce, abuse, a terminal diagnosis, infertility, a broken relationship; all of these can bring an amazing depth of grief to our hearts, and cause us to wonder how we're going to get from one day to the next.
Often, a knee-jerk reaction to someone shedding tears, is for someone to say, "Oh, don't cry!" That's a normal response that is elicited when we don't know what else to say. Let's face it; some of us don't "do grief" very well. I include myself in that statement.
Ecclesiastes tells us quite plainly, that there's a time for laughing, but also a time for crying.
We have a Jesus Who is well acquainted with grief, and if there's anyone who has walked the path of deep sorrow, it is Him. I have wondered what it must have looked like to see Jesus comfort people who were experiencing the heart-wrenching twist of deep emotional pain.
The book of Hebrews shares that He is well acquainted with our weaknesses, and our sorrows, and that He truly cares for us.
Let's remember, that the Beatitudes were shared by none other than Jesus, Himself. He didn't speak the words of today's verse, idly. He has made provision for us, that we can come to Him in our pain and sorrow, and that He will lovingly attend to us.
Has there ever been a time when you experienced God's power of comfort in your life? I'd love to hear about that experience, if you'd be willing to share. Drop me a line, if that's something you'd like to tell me about.
If you are currently going through a crisis that brings deep grief and sorrow, please know that I am praying for you; that the God of all comfort will attend to your needs.
Have a great day and God bless!
Pastor Mike / The Open Word
