“They Shall be Comforted,”

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted,” (Matthew 5:4 ESV)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught many things, many of which were contrary to what the Israelites had been taught in the Judaic religion. Things like looking at someone with lust constitute adultery, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth, and blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Loss is very hard on everyone except the one who is gone, provided they knew Christ as their Savior. For them, it is glorious. We, who must deal with the loss, grieve and mourn. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” In our grief, we must cling to the Lord, for our overcoming grief is completed by his grace. In these times, the Lord draws close to us, and sometimes, even when we cannot see Him, we feel held in His presence.

In John 16:2, Christ said to the apostles, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” This verse has two promising truths Jesus gave us through the writing of John. First, while we will have sorrow on this earth, we will see Christ, stand before Him, and reside with Him for eternity. The second is that no one can take our joy from us. Yes, there will be tears, but the point is Christ is our joy, and He gives you His peace in our salvation by grace through Faith in Christ alone. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." (John 14:27).

While we may love many things, people, pets, or places, Christ should be our ultimate treasure, and when He is, it is much easier to overcome loss and grief because He is a never-ending source of joy and peace. Christ is eternal, and those in Christ are eternal as well. His righteousness is imputed to us, and our peace and joy are a gift and a treasure, as all things belong to Him and are under His control. There is no evil in God; there never could be. James wrote, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” (1:13)

Have you come to know salvation through Christ Jesus? Have you been made righteous before God through Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection? Are you suffering with grief and sorrow? Seek Christ today, and be freed from the slavery of sin. Stand righteous before God and receive the grace, peace, and love of the Lord. A treasure beyond compare, we have life in the hands of Christ, for scripture tells us, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

Grace and Peace.