Blessed are those who mourn

During the past week I had to take my elderly cat, Natasha, to the vet and received the news that she is suffering from advanced kidney degeneration. She has returned home and is now on a special diet but the outlook is not good. She’s been a much loved part of our family for about fifteen years, so the thought of losing her is very sad.

“Blessed are those who mourn…” Jesus states in the record of the sermon on the mount, Matthew chapter 5, verse 4, “for they will be comforted.”

To “mourn” is described by the Oxford dictionary as “feel sorrow or regret (for or over dead person, lost thing, loss misfortune, etc.); show conventional signs of grief for period after person’s death”.  Just a few words to describe a process that can, in some cases, last a lifetime.

John Piper, in a succinct discourse on the subject available from his “Desiring God” ministries on Facebook and YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dlBRmxu_-E , describes two kinds of losses: to have something precious and lose it, and to hope for something precious and never have it. There are few, if any humans who live without experiencing one or both of these losses. Some losses are obvious and draw understanding of the fact that a person may be grieving: the death of a spouse, or parent, friend or family member. Yet in the western world death is often sanitised and neatly packaged. Following the funeral there may be little social support for the bereaved.

Other losses can be less obvious. The pain of a miscarriage is no less real if the couple are able to conceive another baby. The pain of a love affair that has concluded is no less real even if “there are plenty more fish in the sea.” Parents can mourn the impact of disability in a much- loved child. The loss of a pet may be insignificant in comparison to the loss of a person, but it is still the loss of a loving relationship. Then there are losses that don’t necessarily involve relationships. One can mourn the loss of health due to a serious illness or accident. The loss of employment can strip a life of self-esteem. The loss of a home and personal possessions can be devastating.

Then there can be mourning for something precious that a person desired and has not had. Some people would love to be married and remain single. Some deeply desire children and are unable to have a family. Some have particular dreams and aspirations that are put on hold due to financial constraints or personal obligations until a point is reached when it appears that they will never be realised.

Like poverty, mourning was never God’s intention for the human race, but rather a result of sin. The good news is found in the fact that those who mourn “will be comforted”- that is if they believe in Christ. Only through Jesus Christ do we have the hope that death and disappointment have been overcome through Christ’s redemptive work on Calvary. He died to give mankind a pathway back to God, direct access to salvation. All we have to do is pray a prayer of repentance and faith in Jesus and commit our lives to Him. 
Again we see the similarity and sequencing of what are given as blessings in the sermon on the mount to the verses in Isaiah 61 which Christ used in the synagogue at Nazareth early in His recorded preaching ministry- "He has sent me to bind up the broken -hearted." (Isaiah 61:1). Christ understands and identifies with suffering humanity in a way that no other false god ever has or ever will.

Unlike other religions, those who believe in Christ have an assurance of where they will be going after death, because we are told that we will be with Him in Heaven, not through any of our own efforts, but because of Christ. God of the Bible is not capricious. All the promises in the Bible prove true. Christians have this sure hope. We know that our loved ones who have died believing in Christ are with Him. This is our great comfort in times of sorrow.

God comforts through the presence of His Holy Spirit- the Parakletos or “one who comes alongside”. He comforts through the Bible, His word, a “living word” which has great power to those who read it to sustain and comfort in times of need. He also comforts through His people, whom He uses throughout the world to minister to others of His love. We are not alone.

It is natural to mourn. John Piper also encourages us to appreciate the life that we have been given to live in its various forms. There are times and seasons that we pass through, knowing that God is there and that He cares for us in every one. This life is a small space in the eternity of our lives with Him. We have the comfort and joy of His presence in this life and the hope of Heaven.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth disappeared, and the sea vanished. And I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared and ready, like a bride dressed to meet her husband.  I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: “Now God's home is with people! He will live with them, and they shall be his people. God himself will be with them, and he will be their God. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things have disappeared.” (Revelation 21 :1-4)

Bluebells, botanical gardens, Hobart