BLESSED INDEED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN…

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant …. or to mourn like the rest of men, who have no hope. (1Thessalonians 4:13)

Is God sadistic… is that why He wants us to mourn?

We mourn not because God wants us to mourn. We mourn when we discover our loss.

The problem is that God’s ways are not our ways, and have never been.

Before we came to know Him, we have gone our own way. We did things the way we did…which is the way the people of the world do things. And we think we are very wise and right.

When we come to God, we find that His ways are not our ways. So, when we had gone our own way, in our own wisdom, we discover when we come to Him, that we have sown lots of “wild oats”, so to speak; and what we sow, that will we reap.

One of the sad things I discovered, that I’d done in my own wisdom, was to bring up children in a child-centered way. This is what most modern parents do. Our whole axiom of child raising seems to be based on the happiness factor. Our aim in child-raising is making our children happy.

I myself was raised on the happiness principle. If I wasn’t happy, I could make the whole household unhappy. In fact, when I am not careful, this problem of control can arise again and again. I can control the whole household with my mood alone.

And my children, too, raised on this principle can hold us to ransom when they are not happy. And, when they grew up, they think God must make them happy.

So, often, our relationship with God is ruled by how happy He makes us.

Unfortunately, God is not so concerned about making us happy as making us HOLY.

So when we come to God, we may suddenly be confronted by this mismatch: His holiness against our unworthiness. That makes us very unhappy indeed! In fact, it can make us wretched.

Our wretchedness does not make God unhappy. He reveals in His Word that a humble and contrite heart is greatly favoured by Him:

For this is what the high and lofty One says--
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
"I live in a high and holy place,
but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
I will not accuse forever,
nor will I always be angry,
for then the spirit of man would grow faint before me--
the breath of man that I have created.
(Isaiah 57:15-16)

Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?"
declares the LORD.
"This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word.
(Isaiah 66:2)

Jesus has paid the price for our redemption from all our sins, failure and guilt on the cross with His precious blood shed as atonement for every wrong. Our morning should turn to gratitude, if we are contrite and humble of heart. So shall our mourning flee away, when this reality of what Jesus has done for us comes to us in the freshness of all its truth. Then, redemption will no longer be a mental apprehension of a spiritual doctrine. It will be a reality in our lives.

Then, we really praise God!
Then, we know He is good and His mercies endure forever.

We praise God He knows what is in man, and He does not reject us. In fact, we gives us fresh promises for us and our posterity. Whatever God does, is for us, and our children and their children:

The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children—
(Psalm 103:8-17)

Jesus has turned the tables on the enemy of our soul, and we rejoice. This is why we are blessed when we mourn. When we mourn, we are comforted. He is our Helper, Counselor and Comforter!

Stay with Him. He will process us through to recovery. He turns our mourning into dancing. And we fall in love with Him.... He is the Lover of our souls. So, we know why Paul says, "REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS, AND AGAIN I SAY, REJOICE1"

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN

Matthew 5:3-4
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted."

God is so good. He always shows us His way. Often, as people who are used to seeking help from people, we invariably turn to people for the kind of help that only God can give. This is our human nature. It's only when we learn through hard experience that help from people is always limited because only the Lord knows the precise shape and size of the hole in us. Only when we know that only He can provide the piece of help and comfort and counsel that fits the shape and size of the the hole in our souls that we eventually run to Him first, whenever we have a need.

Jesus allows us to mourn.

Yesterday, I attended a grief counselling workshop, by mistake (but then, nothing ever really happens as a mistake!). It was a most enriching experience. It was for those who have suffered a recent loss of a loved one. When I was in the room I could feel the grief in some of the people there. I thank God for such a ministry where people who are really in the midst of their grief can go to mourn and be understood!

I learnt that when a sudden loss occurs, there is the primary loss that comes from losing the loved one; but there are also secondary losses associated with losing the benefits of that relationship. For example, the widow may lose the income of the former husband. She may also lose his help in the house, like paying the bills and ferrying the children to school and tuition. During the period of loss and adjustment, the emptiness and void and helplessness is so real.

But praise God, they do have a period of mourning and adjustment, taking stock and realigning, with help from mentors. Most importantly, they learn to look to God as their counsellor and comforter.

But I came away from the workshop feeling like there is much loss in my life that I've yet to mourn over. I did not suffer a sudden loss. However, as I have learnt to be poor in spirit, in a humble attitude before God, I see the many holes in my soul.

I lost my grandparents and my mother lost her parents when she was a newborn. That was a huge loss that left lots of big holes in her life that were passed right down to us--at least, to me, as her only daughter. (I cannot speak for my brothers, especially as we had a great father!)

My mother's being orphaned, and having no mothering, left no proper model for her or for me. So between the time I was a teenager growing up into adulthood and the time I was saved and provided with spiritual re-mothering, there were lots of holes that had not been properly filled. But oh yes, the holes had been temporarily filled--by me, in my own wisdom and strength.

In the hole of self-esteem, I had filled it with my own career pathway that would have led me to stardom, if the Lord had not interferred.

In the hole of self-abasement, I had filled with good works that would earn me affirmation and approval all around.

And I won't tell you any more of the other holes....

Anyway, just as Issac redigged his wells (Gen 26:17-23), so I had wells to re-dig. I had to dig up all that mud and stones and debris that I had filled the holes in my soul with. And when I did, fresh water was there.

So this morning, I re-dug one of those wells. It was an important relationship that had been broken. I brought a brother to the Lord, and confessed to Him about how I had invariably affected his life by giving him the wrong kind of stuff to fill his soul with when I tried to help in my own wisdom and strength. Sadly, this wrong kind of remedy or help had affected him all these years!

Praise God, He is truly the comforter. God is true to His Word!

"BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN, THEY WILL BE COMFORTED."


God's comfort came in the form of peace, and the promise of restoration from His Word, that the later years of my brother's life will be far greater than his former years!!! Can you beat that??? THAT IS COMFORT!!!

Indeed, every hole in our life will be filled and what's more, we know how to point others, confidently, to the Comforter.

Whatever loss, whether recent, or long-lost but not redeemed, He can do it. And we can re-dig holes that we have filled in our own strength and wisdom--which we will invariably do, as it is in our human nature to do this--and expose these old holes to the Lord. As we re-dig, there will be some pain and mourning over the loss, as if it is a fresh wound, since it is exposed afresh. When God does the filling this time around, it is completely healed. His grace is poured on us. His comfort comes to us. His peace reigns in our hearts. His promises keeps us confident and full of praise for Him.

We move on like Mount Zion which cannot be shaken.

Such is the comfort God gives those who mourn...

Blessed, indeed, are those who mourn....

BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

Thank You, Lord, that our spiritual poverty is blessed, for it is when we know we have nothing in ourselves—when we are empty—that we are truly blessed. For this is when we are ready to be filled. You are attracted to the vacuum in us that screams out for You, O Lord.

Lord, You know how we have this sinful tendency to try to look good on our own strength. We face the world with our own set of tricks and defenses and try to match the bravado of others with some of our own, so we can maintain some sense of self-worth.

Lord, when we are full of ourselves, and our own plans and desires, cause us to come to You and fall at Your feet, and enable us to empty ourselves, so we can be truly empty. We acknowledge that we have no strength or ability to come to You when we are so full of ourselves. We acknowledge that when we’re full of ourselves, we get proud and arrogant. With this haughty spirit within us, all our righteousness will be as filthy rags to You.

When we are strong, Lord, let it be the strength that you fill us up with when we come to you, humble and needy or broken and contrite. And when we do that, Lord make us truly strong in Your Strength. Make us the head, not the tail. Make us a blessing to others.

Then we will not be proud because we know that our strength comes from You. Then we will continue to lean on You and be completely dependent on You. Then we will be in right relationship with You. You alone are the source of all we have and do.

So, help us Lord to continually come to You in this way. To commit ourselves fully to You, to lean on You, and hope confidently in You, for You keep us in perfect and constant peace when our hearts and minds are so set on You.

Then, Lord, may we walk humbly before You, letting Your light in us shine forth. Let the cleansing waters and joy You fill us with refresh others. Let the confidence You put in us inspire others. Let the assurance and hope we have in You put assurance and hope in others, too.

So Lord, help us to be the light and salt of the earth.

Lord, let us continue with You in this way…. Amen.