The Lodestar

There is not a single person who has never mourned in their life. Human life begins with a loud cry and proceeds through the valley of tears. However, in the case of some, it could be occasional; everyone has moments of sorrow in their journey of life.

Jesus did not specify the reason for the mourning, but he asserted that it is a blessed state, implying it leads to a higher good, in this case, comfort. It is only reasonable to complete this elliptical sentence as “comforted by God.”

The Bible provides multiple answers for the nature of this blessed mourning.

First, it could be the “godly grief” that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 7:10, a sorrow that makes a person turn Godward from his sin. Individuals genuinely convicted of their sins become sorrowful, which awakens them to repentance. Since God causes this sorrow for a godly purpose, this is aptly called “godly grief.”

It happens when our hearts are pierced by the Word of God, which “is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb 4:12).

It could also be the sorrow that Augustine (a reputed Christian thinker of the fourth century) explained. For him, this is the deep distress arising from the loss of things we gave up following Christ. Augustine, who lived a sinful life before his conversion, had to throw away many things that gave him temporal pleasures to follow Christ. He said that this sorrow lingers until we rejoice in the things of far-reaching value that await us in eternity. It takes time.

It could be weeping for the sins of others as Jesus wept over Jerusalem, destined for destruction as punishment for the people’s rebellion against God. “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it” (Luke 19:41—44). Sin may give sinners immense pleasure, but for those who have the mind of Christ, deep sorrow over the dire consequences that await the sinner.

Finally, it could be the groaning of those longing for the eternal to be realized. Paul said that we groan as we wait for the fuller consummation of history and the realisation of the promised blessed hope. “For in this tent (body) we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling….” (2 Cor 5:2). So, we live in a constant state of mourning, longing for that day of comfort that is not far away.

But this blessed state of mourning has its reward as comfort, a day when all that we hope for, pray for, and groan will be realised in all its glory. It could be growing spiritually to appreciate the things of heaven rather than the earthly pleasures that we forsook; it could be the sinners for whom we interceded with tears return to the shepherd of their souls, and indeed, it is the joy when we see the gates of eternity opening wide before us.

But this is certain: mourning is a blessed state if it is mourning for the right reasons and the promise of the Lord is intact; the mourners will eventually find their comfort. The psalmist sang joyfully, “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favour is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psa 30:5).

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