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Focus Verse: Matthew 5:4
Introduction: Having a sober mind in a fallen world means we are confronted with a broken reality that will grieve the tenderhearted. Suffering is a reality that everyone is subject to at some point in their life, and many are wounded by their circumstances. With the pervasiveness of human suffering and the reality of sin in the world, a caring person will be moved to mourning even when they are experiencing moments of happiness. This is the reality that Jesus is speaking into when He gave the Beatitudes and spoke Matthew 5:4, Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Theme: God is near to us in our suffering
The reality of mourning is only half the story for the God fearing, because in our mourning God is close to us. We are bound to God through our baptism into Christ’s suffering on the cross, and it is through the reality of suffering in the world that we are able to draw closest to God. Grief and mourning are realities that will persist until Christ returns and death is cast into the fire, but it is in those experiences that we can call out for the comfort of God. Those who mourn are in an enviable position, because they are able to receive the comfort that only God’s presence can provide. Trials and tribulations, pain and sorrow, are the fibers that bond us to God and draw us into perfection. In those moments when we are most troubled by the harsh realities of life in a fallen world, if we will turn to God for comfort we will find Him near. As Psalm 51:17 says it is a broken spirit and a contrite heart that are the sacrifices that God desires. And in bringing those sacrifices before Him, the beauty of God is revealed to us as we find hope in the promises we know He will faithfully deliver on.
Illustration: Sorrow has a way of bringing people together and bonding them in ways that other emotions seem to lack. Happy families are regularly divided over petty squabbles, but when they share a common wound families are able to navigate even major obstacles and find comfort in each other. In some circles this is known as trauma bonding, and it is a reality of relationships that in order to build connection we must in some way be broken first. In the same way, when we see our own wounds in Christ we are able to draw near to Him. When we are most broken, we are most able to reach out for Him for our salvation and within that salvation find a comfort and peace that nothing else can offer.
Question: How have you felt God’s presence in the midst of your sorrow?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for pricking my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh so that I can experience the sorrow that finds its comfort in you. Help me to recognize in the midst of my troubles that I have cause to rejoice as you draw nearer to me. Keep my eyes focused not on the troubles that surround me and the sorrows of life, but on the hope that we have in your Son. Help me to keep an offering of praise on my lips as I come to you with a broken heart and let me feel your mending hand upon my life. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Further reading: James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5,
Introduction: Having a sober mind in a fallen world means we are confronted with a broken reality that will grieve the tenderhearted. Suffering is a reality that everyone is subject to at some point in their life, and many are wounded by their circumstances. With the pervasiveness of human suffering and the reality of sin in the world, a caring person will be moved to mourning even when they are experiencing moments of happiness. This is the reality that Jesus is speaking into when He gave the Beatitudes and spoke Matthew 5:4, Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Theme: God is near to us in our suffering
The reality of mourning is only half the story for the God fearing, because in our mourning God is close to us. We are bound to God through our baptism into Christ’s suffering on the cross, and it is through the reality of suffering in the world that we are able to draw closest to God. Grief and mourning are realities that will persist until Christ returns and death is cast into the fire, but it is in those experiences that we can call out for the comfort of God. Those who mourn are in an enviable position, because they are able to receive the comfort that only God’s presence can provide. Trials and tribulations, pain and sorrow, are the fibers that bond us to God and draw us into perfection. In those moments when we are most troubled by the harsh realities of life in a fallen world, if we will turn to God for comfort we will find Him near. As Psalm 51:17 says it is a broken spirit and a contrite heart that are the sacrifices that God desires. And in bringing those sacrifices before Him, the beauty of God is revealed to us as we find hope in the promises we know He will faithfully deliver on.
Illustration: Sorrow has a way of bringing people together and bonding them in ways that other emotions seem to lack. Happy families are regularly divided over petty squabbles, but when they share a common wound families are able to navigate even major obstacles and find comfort in each other. In some circles this is known as trauma bonding, and it is a reality of relationships that in order to build connection we must in some way be broken first. In the same way, when we see our own wounds in Christ we are able to draw near to Him. When we are most broken, we are most able to reach out for Him for our salvation and within that salvation find a comfort and peace that nothing else can offer.
Question: How have you felt God’s presence in the midst of your sorrow?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for pricking my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh so that I can experience the sorrow that finds its comfort in you. Help me to recognize in the midst of my troubles that I have cause to rejoice as you draw nearer to me. Keep my eyes focused not on the troubles that surround me and the sorrows of life, but on the hope that we have in your Son. Help me to keep an offering of praise on my lips as I come to you with a broken heart and let me feel your mending hand upon my life. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.
Further reading: James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-5,
