Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Thursday, January 7, 2016
Have you ever grieved the loss of a loved one? Have you lost a friend or neighbor to the cold hands of death? Have you, like so many others, said that you hate cancer? Have you mourned lately as you watched the news of senseless murders due to gun violence? Have you been saddened by the poverty of innocent children around the world? The Bible says blessed are they that mourn.
Have you experienced the loneliness and rejection of being abandoned by your spouse? Have you wondered what you did to deserve his or her ill treatment? Has this feeling kept you up at night as you begged God to comfort you? The Bible says blessed are they that mourn.
Have you ever lost a job, and as a result been evicted from your home, lost your car, and wondered how you were going to pay for your family’s next meal? Have you ever thought this would never happen to you, and wished that you would wake up from this nightmare soon, but realized it was not a dream; it was your reality? The Bible says blessed are they that mourn.
Why does the Bible say blessed are they that mourn? Well, because God promised that He would comfort those who mourn. If you are sad, in distress, or overcome by life’s circumstances, just know that if you are His child, at just the right time, God Himself, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, will comfort you.
As if this were not good enough news, focus on the true context of this promise. This promise of blessing and comfort is closely related to the poor in spirit promise in Matthew 5:3. One of the main reasons people feel hopeless is because of guilt. We remember some bad thing we did and cannot overcome despair. We may have hurt a friend or loved one. We may have committed some heinous crime. We may have done something that our church brothers and sisters shun. We may have broken a promise to God that we have made over and over again. We mourn.
I have great news for you today! Whether you are morning because of some earthly circumstance, or because your relationship with God is in shambles, the promise is the same. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. The key to comfort, lasting comfort, comes in right relationship with God. When we focus on surrendering our will to God, and living by His Word, He continually comes divinely close. When we have temporary disappointments, He comforts us. If we make a sin mistake, He gives us the power to confess and forsake our sins. And with no unconfessed sins hanging over our relationship with God we sense the blessing of being unified with Him. We are comforted. If He can comfort us and restore us into right relationship with Himself, which is of eternal import, He most certainly can comfort us through earthly trials.
Today’s Scripture Promise:
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4).Today’s Marching Orders:
Whenever you are sad, experiencing grief, or pain, lift up your mind to God quickly and ask Him to keep His promise to comfort you. Give thanks that at just the right time He will keep His promise.
