WEEKLY INTRODUCTION: The theme for the Beatitudes is the same as Jesus’ message throughout His ministry, namely: “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” which means that it is “right here” and “right now.” It is a spiritual kingdom in which we enter through the gate of REPENTANCE and walk its streets by FAITH. Each Beatitude identifies the quality of one who has entered the Kingdom, followed by a promise to those who possess this quality. Once we enter the Kingdom, or we might say, once the Kingdom enters us, we receive all its blessings. And let’s remember that “to be blessed” is to be fully satisfied, lacking no good thing.

The Second Beatitude: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Mt. 5:4).

There is nothing inherently complex about the meaning of the Greek verb “to mourn,” as it can also be translated “to grieve” or “to be sorrowful.” However, the interesting aspect of the word is that it is in the present tense, which means continuous action. What was that? Yes, it means to be in a continuous state of sorrow. How can this be when the Bible tells us that we are to be joyful? After all, “joy” is the second fruit of the spirit listed by the Apostle Paul, and it shows up right after the fruit of “love.” (Galatians 5:22). As we walk with Christ, we are supposed to always be joyful, even when we encounter various trials, as the Apostle James tells us (James 1:2). How can we explain this?

I believe that this dilemma can be solved when we understand those things over which we are supposed to mourn, or grieve. First, we are to grieve over CIRCUMSTANCES, circumstances such as:

• The DEATH of a family member or loved one
• The DESTRUCTION of life and property due to accidents or natural disasters
• The DISEASES that wreak havoc in the human body
• The DEPRAVITY of the human race that leads people into all kinds of sinful behavior
• The DESPAIR of the human race as people seek to know God but look in all the wrong places

Yes, these are all legitimate reasons for us to mourn, while at the same time, experiencing the joy that the Lord brings us by having a relationship with Him. I look at “continuous mourning” a bit like “background noise,” that is, such circumstances as those noted above are always present “in the back of our minds” as we walk joyfully with Christ.

But there are other reasons for us to grieve, and these have to do with our own FAILURES, failures such as:

• Our own UNWORTHY LIFESTYLE that is so often unbecoming of the life of a follower of Jesus
• Our own UNFAITHFUL STEWARDSHIP as we fail to use the gifts and resources we have been given
• Our own UNBELIEVING HEART as we constantly put God to the test because of our own lack of faith
• Our own UNFRUITFUL LIFE that fails to bear any kind of spiritual fruit in the lives of others
• Our own UNREPENTANT SPIRIT that continues to grieve God as we resist the Holy Spirit

When we take a closer look at our own lives, we can find many valid reasons to mourn, and those have to due with our failure to become more like Jesus and bearing godly fruit in our own lives. It is here where this thought of “mourning” hits home for each one of us, and these are areas that we need to take to heart and submit our “sinfulness” to God for forgiveness and restoration. And this is also when we need to turn to our gracious Savior and allow Him to work in and through us. Realizing that nothing is impossible with God, let’s return to what we know and have been taught in our Christian lives:

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

 God can do what we are unable to do in our own strength. And so, as we “mourn” over unavoidable CIRCUMSTANCES in life, and over our own FAILURES as followers of Jesus, where can we turn for comfort? Let me suggest three:

• We can find comfort in GOD’S WORD through the many promises available for us
• We can find comfort in being with GOD’S PEOPLE as we spend time with other Christians
• We can find comfort in spending time in GOD’S PRESENCE during corporate worship with other believers and in personal devotions and times of prayer

I have one final thought that you may not have considered – If you never mourn, you deny God the opportunity to comfort you. For mourners to be comforted is His promise in this Beatitude. So let me put this Beatitude into perspective: “Blessed are those who take the time to mourn over the unavoidable CIRCUMSTANCES in life, and the FAILURES we have all experienced, for they shall find comfort from the Lord Himself. After all, it was the Apostle Paul who reminded the Corinthians:

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 of our troubles, so that we can comfort those who are grieving with the same comfort we ourselves receive from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

May we all take the time to reflect upon the challenges of life and our own failures and realize that God comforts us in all our troubles because He is the God of all comfort. And when we are comforted by Him, we are in a position to comfort others. God bless you this week as you live out this second Beatitude.