Comfort and Consolation

Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 ESV

There is a special place in God’s heart for those who mourn. In the midst of our pain, there is a blessing: a comforter who understands the pain of loss and tenderly enters our anguish with us, offering hope and comfort in the shifting, the changing, the uncertainty.

The Message translates this verse, “You’re blessed when you feel you have lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”

I experienced this truth when my mother passed. Those days when my grief threatened to undo me were the days I felt God’s presence the most. This is the blessing hidden in our grief, the consolation in knowing that there is more awaiting us than what we can presently see. He breathes comfort and strength into today and hope into all of our tomorrows.

God knows the pain of loss, for He watched His own beloved Son die on the cross for our salvation. His greatest loss was our greatest blessing. Blessed, indeed, are those who mourn, for God understands what it means to lose what is most dear to us and fills that emptiness with Himself.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you for your personal touch when I am grieving. Your presence is my comfort, your promises my strength. Amen.

Thought: “Whenever His hand is laid upon you, it gives inexpressible peace and comfort, and the sense that ‘underneath are the everlasting arms,’ full of support, provision, comfort and strength.” – Oswald Chambers