Comfort!

Comfort!

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 KJV

There are priorities for people who are disciples, and of course, there are priorities also for those who are not. The list of 'blessed' statements by Jesus, during his sermon on the mount, referred to as 'The Beatitudes' contain references to disciples. Jesus was speaking to people who had made a decision to follow him, not the crowd content to follow from a distance, and which would stop at the foot of the mountain. If I will be blessed by God, as made clear in Jesus' sermon, I must make that decision to follow Jesus. I cannot settle for the ordinary and the mundane. 

This particular beatitude refers to those who mourn. Now, mourning could refer to several things; could mean sorrow for sin, or sorrow for the hearts of men, but for all who are disciples, mourning here would always be on something close to God's heart. If I truly have the heart of God, I will love what he loves and hate what he hates. The things that bother his heart will bother me also, and the things that gladden his heart will also give me joy. I cannot hold on to sin and expect God to be happy; I cannot pursue only after this world's goods, and expect to have joy. I just must have God's heart if I must have God's best. 

Why would mourning this way lead to blessing? It is because this heart is the template for God's move. If he knows I have his priorities, he can commit great things into my hands. If he knows I will pursue after the things he loves, he knows he owns and holds my heart, and nothing can take his place in my heart. If I hate sin the way he does, hate hypocrisy, eye-service and lukewarmness the way he does, he knows he has a focused child who he can work in and through to establish his kingdom on earth. 

And the reward from God for this attitude is comfort. Even comfort here has to be rightly defined; the world has comforts, but God has comfort. The world's comforts may secure you for a while, but they can't guarantee you eternity. The world can only give you that which it has, which means that it can only provide you with resources good for the earth. It has nothing of eternity to offer you. God is the eternal God, and all he is and gives are good for this earth and the life to come. His comfort cannot be hoarded or kept secret; when I have experienced it, the world cannot but take notice. 

And like it has been pointed out above, I can't deceive God with external piety that is empty of inner devotion. It is only those who truly mourn who will receive the comfort that is promised. I must know that I am dealing with the God of the whole universe, who has everything under his control. He knows my heart and will deal with me in line with my heart's pursuits and priorities. I must therefore watch it now, so that my life and its offerings are the types that God can bless. Am I looking for the comfort God gives, the type that is good both for this present earthly phase and all of eternity? I will only find this at the Secret Place of the Most High, the one who calls me to himself and asks me to trust him with my all. If I trust him, I will not regret it. God's time of favour is here.