Mourning

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

This is a counter-intuitive statement of Jesus's. Another way of saying it would be 'happy are the sad'! It doesn't seem to make sense.

Of course, mourning is a sad state which surely all of us must face at some point in our lives. Yet it is possible to mourn well. We should mourn our own wrongdoing.

If we're remorseful because of the evils we do, Jesus promises that we can be comforted. If we come to trust in Him, then we can have the comfort of knowing that our sins are forgiven.

It seems strange to say that the mournful can be happy, and yet if we take our sorrows to God, He can comfort us. God doesn't want us miserable. He wants us to rejoice in Him.

'Blessed God, please bless us with joy, even though we don't deserve it. Please comfort us in our sorrows. In Jesus' name we pray, amen'

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