Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted

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

Everything can be understood correctly, and everything can be misunderstood. Unfortunately, on average, there is much more misunderstanding than the correct understanding of God’s word. All sinners are in considerable darkness – much more than they suspect.

Blessed are those who mourn – with godly sorrow

The above-quoted, glorious words are easily misunderstood. Most people who mourn are not comforted for the simple reason that their sorrow is a sorrow that certainly does not please God; on the contrary, it is an extremely unnecessary and harmful sorrow.

The sorrow that is pleasing to God – which results in true comfort and makes us happy – is that we mourn over the fact that we do things so badly (that is, our own matters); this is a sorrow where we mourn over the fact that we are not at all as we ought to be, as God’s word teaches us and exhorts us in all possible areas. (2 Corinthians 7:9-11.)

This pleases God so much that He comforts us with a true, effective comfort, so that we are immediately blessed, because it does not say, “shall become blessed,” but “are blessed.” And the only adequate comfort for all those who possess this God-pleasing sorrow in their lives is an assurance from God that it shall fully succeed for them to become like God wants them to be, now, in all areas, in the dispensation of grace.

Because we believe in this true comfort from God, we will sense this blissfulness immediately, long before we have become partakers of all the glorious things of which we are sure we will partake, simply because we have this constant sorrow in our inner man, which is very pleasing to God.

This sorrow works like a magnet that draws the contents of God’s kingdom down to us and into the depths of our heart. This is how we are transformed in our inner being during the time of our sojourn. The Lord be greatly praised!

We must sow what we reap

However, just as much as God is very pleased by this noble care and sorrow and dissatisfaction with ourselves, and just as much as He values it, so He is also angry with us if we are dissatisfied with the others, complaining about them and worrying about them instead of sorrowing over the fact that it is difficult for us to bear them and keep loving them, etc.

One of the worst things we can do is to criticize and judge others instead of judging ourselves. It can even be so bad that one criticizes and judges God Himself by being dissatisfied with His leading! Then we could not possibly be aware of what we ourselves are actually doing!?

Imagine! Judging everything and everyone, even God Himself, instead of judging ourselves!

Everything transpires exactly according to the laws of the Spirit of life. What we sow we must also reap. For example, “Give, and it will be given to you …” Luke 6:38. “He who humbles himself will be exalted,” – whether he wants to or not! Matthew 23:12. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4. “Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [after doing everything that is right and good in every detail] … shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6. And this is so sure, so sure, so sure! Even to the degree that it is not only possible for it to happen and not only does happen, but that it is actually impossible for it not to happen!

This article has been translated from Norwegian and was first published in BCC’s periodical Skjulte Skatter (Hidden Treasures) in February 1985.
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