The word "blessed" to most people usually means "to be prosperous." When a person acquires good fortune, we call them “blessed.” Yet in Matthew 5 Jesus calls people “blessed” who appear to be quite the opposite. Individuals who “mourn” don’t seem to be “blessed". To "mourn" means “to experience deep grief.”Jesus therefore is contrasting the world’s idea of happiness with true blessedness, which comes from having a right relationship with God.
Jesus indicates in His Beatitudes that this mourning is due to grief people have over sins in their lives. The people who seek forgiveness from God for these sins can receive a "state of blessedness" through the comfort they receive from the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself called the Holy Spirit the Comforter that He would send after His ascension. The Holy Spirit comforts those who are honest about their own sin and humble enough to ask for deliverance and healing from them. Those who hide their sin or try to justify it before God can never know the comfort that comes from a pure heart.
Jesus reminds His disciples in Matthew 5 that they cannot seek happiness the way the world does. True joy is not found in selfish ambition, excuses, or self-justification. A state of blessedness comes only to those who mourn over their own sin and repent. That message is confirmed in Isaiah 66:2 "These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word."
When you agree with God about how bad your sin is, repent of it, and seek His power to walk away from it, then Jesus promises joy for you from the Holy Spirit. The kind of "mourning" that leads to repentance is truly one that is blessed. Repentance results in forgiveness and cleansing from God. Repentance means your old life has passed away and a new one is just beginning. Repentance means the things that you can't forgive yourself for doing will be eradicated from your record by the blood of Jesus. It's amazing how Jesus can turn your mourning into blessing if you just ask Him!
Don't wallow in your guilt and shame, but realize that you can stand justified before God if you accept Jesus. Those who learn to mourn over their own sin and repent truly find the very heart of God. It's that intimate fellowship with Jesus that is the very foundation of true happiness. Those individuals build a city that cannot be hid and develop a heart for God that is pure and clean. They were humble enough to recognize they were sinners and their mourning (weeping) only lasted for a night because their joy came in the morning!
Whether it's sin, the loss of your health, a loved one, or some traumatic episode that spirit of mourning invades your atmosphere. I have to let God be my source of comfort now more than ever. I challenge you to let God turn your tears into triumph and your mourning into praise. You will never regret the decision to let the convicting, saving power of Jesus attack the negative atmosphere and bring you the laughter you need.
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