Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN
These days it seems that people will try nearly anything to be happy. They turn to self-help books, therapies, and medicines. They spend millions of dollars each year seeking to rid themselves of depression and sorrow. So it might sound a little strange to us at first when Jesus says to His disciples, "Blessed are those who mourn." But sometimes sadness and weeping is not a bad thing. It depends on what you are sad about.
There are types of sorrow that are not God-pleasing. There is the sorrow of self-pity, where we become depressed when we do not get everything we want in life or when things don't work out the way we planned. There is also the sorrow of despair where we go around thinking, "There is no hope. All is lost. Even God cannot help me." These kinds of sorrow lead to anger and frustration.
David wrote in Psalm 6, "I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears." His sorrow, however, was a godly sorrow. He was weeping over his sins and the troubles they had caused. His cries were not those of self-pity or despair, but of the realization that he had hurt the God who loved Him so dearly. This kind of sorrow led him to a total dependence on God's mercy.
When we look at ourselves and see how we have sinned against the Lord who died to save us, we will certainly feel bad. We have indeed harmed our very best Friend. We might even cry about it. But tears like this can be dried by the cross itself. The LORD hears our cries for mercy and He comforts us with the gospel: The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
