BELIEVERS WHO MOURN WILL BE COMFORTED AND BLESSED

Proclamation:

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."  Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

Explanation:

This is the second of the beatitudes which Jesus taught to His disciples, and the surrounding crowd, in His Sermon on The Mount as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  Jesus said believers who mourn will be blessed and comforted.

Application:
At the death of a loved one we mourn.  We grieve because we feel that someone we love has been taken away from us.  We should be able to say as Job said, The Lord gives to us and The Lord takes away from us, blessed be The Lord. (Job 1:21)  We know that when a believer dies, they are absent from the body and present with The Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6 and 5:8)  We mourn, we weep, and we cry because we are human and we have suffered a loss.  We know that in this life there is a time for everything, including a time to mourn and weep. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)  Believers also know that weeping may endure for a season, but joy is coming. (Psalms 30:5)  He will comfort us while we mourn, and bless us during and after the time of mourning. (John 14:16 and 2 Corinthians 1:4)   

COMFORT ONE ANOTHER

Proclamation:

“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 our troubles, so that we can comfort those in trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are The Holy Spirit inspired words of the Apostle Paul which were written in a letter to the believers in Corinth and to the scattered believers everywhere.  Paul said that all comfort ultimately comes from God, The Father.  He told them that God comforts them so that they could pass it on and comfort others who are in trouble.  Comfort, like blessings, were meant to be shared, passed on, and given to others.

Application:

The "us" and "we" that Paul was referring to was himself and Timothy, but there are those of us that believe that it applies to all Christians as well.  The Holy Spirit of God is The Comforter. (John 14:16 and 14:26)  As we receive comfort from God, we are to share it with others, just as we are to do with the blessings that we receive.  In the mist of our sufferings and troubles God comforts and strengthens us and gives us courage.  We are therefore to offer words of encouragement to others to comfort and strengthen them in their times of sufferings and trouble.  A kind word or two of encouragement or an appropriate verse from The Bible can really help someone.  However, providing comfort is not always only in the words we speak, often we can comfort others by just being there with them.  Our physical presence is often valued more than the words we speak.  We learn how to comfort others by providing them with the same comfort which we received when we were going through our trials, troubles and tribulations.  Let us demonstrate our love for one another by caring and sharing our blessings and by comforting one another as we were comforted.

Comforted To Provide Comfort To Others

"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 our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."  2 Corinthian 1:3-4 (NIV)

In this letter to the believers in Corinth, the Apostle Paul tell them that God, their heavenly Father, who is the God of all compassion and comfort, comforts them in their time of trouble so that they, in turn, can be a comfort to others in their time of trouble.  

Just as we were blessed in order to be a blessing to others, we were comforted in our troubles so that we could learn how to be a comfort to others in their hour of need.  God comforted us when we were afflicted, anguished, bereaved, burdened, persecuted, suffering, troubled, and when we were going through our tribulations.  When others are going through the storms in their lives, that is when we should do likewise and comfort them.  Appropriate words of comfort are great, but sometimes just our being there is all the comfort that they need.  So, let us be there for one another, with comfort and compassion, and help each other for God's glory.  We were blessed, to be a blessing to others.

Say A Kind Word To Someone Who Is Heavy-hearted

"An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up."  Proverbs 12:25 (NIV)

King Solomon said that a heavy heart can weigh a man down, but a kind word of consolation can lift him up.

When people are mourning, grieving, depressed, or down in the dumps, some times all it takes is a kind word, words of consolation and comfort, or just a shoulder for them to lean on, that is all that they need to get them through a difficult moment in time.  Everybody who needs our help does not need our money.  Just being there for them physically, or a call on the telephone can make a world of difference in how they feel.  So, as the songs say, "reach out and touch some body's hand" and they may say that "you are all that I need to get by."  It is God The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and The God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. (2 Corinthians 1 3-4)

Words Of Comfort The Lord Is Always There

 "But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief ... My face is red with weeping, deep shadows ring my eyes; yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure ... Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.  My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man He pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend." Job 16:5 & 16-21 (NIV)

After suffering all of the losses of his possessions and his health, Job told his tree friends that their words of comfort were not very comforting.  He said that if the roles were reversed, he could do a better job of comforting them than they were doing for him.  He also said that although he was suffering, he would continue to pray and The Lord in heaven would be his intercessor and plead his case before God The Father.

When our friends are dealing with the death or illness of a loved one, it is difficult to find the right words to say.  Telling them not to cry is useless and maybe even unhealthful.  We can remind them to pray, and we can pray for them.  We may never understand why God allows bad things to happen to us and to the ones that we love.  Our limited finite minds cannot possibly comprehend all that He knows, for He knows all.  After all that Job went through, he said though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. (Job 13:15)  Let's pray for the strength to keep the faith and to indure each trial that we face.  Remember, He said that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)