Blessed Are Those Who Mourn
Today’s Verse:
From Matthew 5:4 ESV
(Jesus said) "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
For the next few days, we’re going to reflect upon Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Today we look at verse 4.
We avoid mourning when we can. It hurts. It’s raw. It’s inconvenient. Grief reveals our powerlessness. But Jesus does not say, “Flee from mourning.” He says, “Blessed are those who mourn,” and he means it—not because mourning is pleasant or comfortable, but because of what God will do in the midst of it.
Lutherans don’t ignore grief. We confess it. We mourn the brokenness of the world and the sin in our hearts and the death in our lives and all around us. But we don’t mourn as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We know where our comfort comes from, and it comes from the cross.
The comfort of Jesus is not sentimental. It’s costly. It was purchased with His blood. The Son of God entered our suffering and carried our sorrows and rose again to destroy death itself.That is no hollow encouragement—that is victory.
So if you are mourning, you are not alone. Christ mourns with you. He still walks with the brokenhearted. And his promise is sure. You will be comforted. Maybe not all at once. Maybe not the way you expected. But He will hold you through the night and raise you in the morning.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, when we mourn, meet us with Your comfort. Remind us that You have conquered death, and that Your cross is our hope. Give us faith to trust that our tears are not wasted, and that joy comes in the morning. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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