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“God blesses those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.”
(Matt. 5:4 NLT)
Friday's Faith
Blessed Are the Mournful
~by Lynn Mosher
I went to a funeral the other day. A very precious friend’s husband died.
As I sat there listening to the trembling voices, soaked in tears, and the preacher’s words of tribute, I cried along with the family and friends.
Separation from a loved one brings grief, but the Lord brings His comfort. The Lord said, “He has sent Me to comfort the brokenhearted.” (Is. 61:1 TLB)
When a loved on is no longer with us, the afterglow of his or her presence lingers on in our hearts and in all the hearts of his/her loved ones on earth long after that one has left our sight. The beauty of such a person never dies, for he or she leaves behind so much of themselves. Our hearts are always illuminated by the memories of their smile, their laughter, their kind words, the touch of their hand, and, if they are a Christian, their love for God.
When we lose a loved one who loved the Lord, we may also look at it this way: Of the roses that climb the garden wall, some will blossom on the other side, being hidden from our view, but the vine keeps them all joined together.
And so it is with the wall of death. It merely hides the other side; it does not divide. Our loved ones who have gone on to be with Jesus may be hidden from our view, but they have just blossomed on the other side. And, if we, who remain here, are also in Christ, then we are all united together, because the Vine keeps us together.
Mourning encompasses more than the heartache of losing a loved one. We mourn when a loved one goes astray in his/her marriage and divorce results, distressing the children. Or when s/he makes wrong decisions and ends up in jail or addicted to some substance.
We mourn for our own mistakes and regrets, for fallen heroes, for abused children, for children kidnapped and forced into sex trafficking, or for those caught in a natural or some other disaster.
There is “a time to weep,” as Ecclesiastes 3:4 NKJV tells us. But what did our opening verse say? “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” In all our mourning, the Lord blesses us with His comfort.
David knew the Lord’s comfort and we are blessed with David’s thoughts and writings in the book of Psalms. David wrote, “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life” (Ps. 119:50 NIV), “May Your unfailing love be my comfort” (Ps. 119:76 NIV), and “Let Your compassion come to me that I may live” (Ps. 119:77 NIV).
In His care for us, God sent Jesus “to comfort all who mourn” (Is. 61:2b NIV), “to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Is. 61:3 NIV).
David wrote, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Ps. 147:3 NKJV)
Trust in those words.
It is God’s promise to you.
Those that mourn shall be comforted…with the Lord’s presence.
If mourning is a part of your life right now, I pray the Lord blesses you with His presence and His comfort.
Blessings,
Lynn
Posted by lynnmosher at 9:29 PM
Labels: brokenhearted, comfort, compassion, cords of love, Death, mourn, separate, Vine, weep
3 comments: {These were the 3 current comments made to Lynn's post that were found on her blog. Mine is the last one!}
Marja said...
Thanks for this post Lynn. We do not like to talk about mourning, but it takes pain to experience His comfort!
Nikole Hahn said...
Beautiful.
Grieving Mother/Therapist, Angie Bennett Prince said...
Thank you Lynn!
I love the connected to the Vine analogy...because it is literally true! I had heard the analogy of the wall of death and the roses growing on the other side that we just cannot see with our eyes yet (which I love), but I had never heard the part about "the Vine keeps us connected together."
Yes! Of course He does!
This post serves as a great reminder for, in my grief, my very world and my heart itself feels all split to pieces, so I often hold onto God's reminder in Colossians 1:15-17 that HE holds all of His creation together: "In Him all things hold together."
Your post reminds me, He not only holds me together here, but He holds all of His family"connected"together...now...and forever!
(Is the vine aspect of the analogy yours?) May God bless you precious Lynn. Thank you for your dedication and ministry; and thank you for today's post that ministers to my war-torn grieving soul.
Much love to you sweet sister!
Angie
http://MotherGrievingLossofChild.blogspot.com
Thank you Lynn for your wonderfully compassionate friendship to me during this worst time in my life. Your loving comments often bring me to my knees in a burst of tears. Thank you so much for sharing your writings, your love, and your life with me ~ You may not even realize it in your sweet humility, but you often lift a corner of my heavy load and help me to carry it as you minister to me with your kind and loving heart.
2 comments:
Angie, I don't know that my comment worked in the new box, so here I am! My heart aches for you, your family, and all those who have lost a precious child. I cannot imagine the pain that causes. I pray for you and the others who grieve. May the Lord bless you with peace and comfort.
Dearest Lynn,
Thank you for your comment! It turns out it worked in both boxes! You are so sweet to share your heart with me and with all of us who are grieving our precious child's loss.
Yes, the pain IS unimaginable. Even though I am living it, it continually surprises me with how pervasive it is into EVERY aspect of my life - biological, physiological, mental, emotional, spiritual, cognitive, etc. Get this, the scientists are even figuring out that intensive grief like that of child-loss damages your brain! That explains so much because many times I feel like I am walking through life like a barely-functioning Zombie!
Just today, I wrote a poem about "What is Grief's Anger About?" The neurophysiological answer might be that we have so much cortisol shooting through our system that it takes very little to set us off big-time! But it's easier said than done! Ouch! It is painful!
So thank you Lynn for your prayers and comfort. I hope you can catch even a tiny glimpse of the huge impact your caring love has on our war-torn souls! Thank you so much for your sweetness. And thank you again for your willingness to share your gift of writing about God's love and compassion with our hungry and thirsty hearts and spirits!
May God bless you and continue to pour His healing and comforting balm all through your sweet body, soul, and spirit as well!
Much love to you,
Angie
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