Just returned from our missions trip to Mali, West Africa.  2 weeks of serving the Lord with our hands and our hearts.  I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy upon us during our long hours of travel, by air and by car.  Thankful for health and strength.  Thankful for fellowship with christians who speak another language, live another lifestyle, but still able to share in the Oneness of Christ our Lord.

But so glad to be back to "regular" life too.  Time to return to this sharing of the Word of God with whoever comes upon this blog.  If you happen to come upon this... know that I am not preaching or teaching.... I am simply listening to the Shepherd's voice and letting you in on the conversation..

Matthew 5:4 " Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."  To mourn - to experience, to feel-sorrow or grief, to wail.   Blessed?  How can that be?  Who is happy to feel grief?  It is inevitable, it is realistic, we know it personally, we experience it.. all of us, unable to escape it in this world.  But to understand this teaching of Jesus.. well that is difficult.  The promise Jesus gives is that those who mourn will be comforted - parakaleo - to call near, invite, invoke, beseech, call for, be of good comfort.  Para - beside, in proximity,  near.  Kaleo - called by name.   The comfort He promises is not just a temporary soothing for our hurting hearts, not just a tissue to wipe away our tears. No, His promise is that when we mourn, He will come to us.  He will call us by name.  He will Himself be our Comfort.  That truly is a blessing beyond anything we can ask for.  Jesus, who stood at the tomb of His friend, Lazarus, and cried.  Jesus who saw the suffering leper and touched his sore covered body.  Jesus who saw the grieving woman and raised her son from the dead.  He is the same One who comes to our side when we are overcome with grief and sorrow.

No, we do not enjoy the times of grief and sorrow in our lives.  But they do come anyway.  We try not to feel it sometimes, don't we?  We shut down our emotions, we medicate ourselves, we deny the sorrow and try to cover it with work, food, alcohol, drugs, or whatever else works.  The problem is that none of that will bring comfort.  Not in the long run.  Only the Lord, our Comfort, can bring us through the sorrows of life.  And He does that by coming near, by calling us by name, by giving us Himself.
So yes, blessed are those who feel grief, really feel it and not deny it or cover it up.... for they will be comforted.  In Him.
What a wonderful message of hope!  This fundamental teaching from Jesus reveals so much about His love for us.  He came to earth as a man to participate in this experience of grief and sorrow Himself!  He leads the way to true comfort, to blessing, to hope.

Thank You Jesus!  You are everything to me!  You are my Savior, rescuing me from sin, death, and hell.  You are my Lord, my Master, directing my steps, my actions, my service.  You are my King, reigning in complete righteousness.  You are my Hope, giving me a life of blessing and promise.  You are my Comfort, coming near to my side, calling me by name, and sharing in my sorrows and sufferings.  Thank You.  I love You Lord.
Amen.