"Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted"* - (Matthew 5:4) because *'the Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.'* (Psalm 34:18) Jesus was easily moved in spirit when he saw people weeping! *'When Jesus saw Mary weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled ... Jesus wept.'* ( John 11:33-35) Too often we spiritualise everything, as if we should mourn only over lost souls! But Lazarus was not a lost soul for he was a friend of Jesus! We are told not to grieve over the dead, yet Jesus did! He was moved in spirit to tears on seeing the grief of the *bereaved* (deprived of a close relation through their death) sisters, at the loss of their brother! So did he, when he saw the grief of a bereaved widow whose only son was being taken out for burial. *'When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry". Then he went up and touched the coffin ... The dead man sat up ... and Jesus gave him back to his mother.'* ( Luke 7:12-15) What a *testament* (something that serves as a sign or evidence of a specified fact or quality) to the comfort a woman received just because the Lord heard her mourn !
Before we can mourn for lost souls, we ought to mourn over our own sins as David did. *'My guilt has overwhelmed me ... because of my sinful folly ... all day long I go about mourning ... I groan in anguish of heart.'* - (Psalm 38:4-8) What else was David groaning about? His many troubles! *'I am worn out groaning; all night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears ... because of all my foes'* ( Psalm 6:6-7) David was not ashamed to cry and make known his sorrow to the Lord and he was heard. *'The Lord has heard my weeping, the Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.'* ( vs 8-9) Nor was Jesus ashamed to cry out to the Father! *'During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death and he was heard because of his reverent submission.'* - (Hebrews 5:7) Only with the comfort we receive can we comfort others! *'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.'* - (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Amen.
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