A Season of Hope ~ Preparing Our Hearts for Easter
Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
In the early days of my new life in Christ, the Lord filled me with the promise of forgiveness for my condition of sin as well as for the many wrongful things I had done. There was one particular wrong I had committed that I was compelled to deal with and it wasn’t going to be pleasant or easy. Shortly after my husband and I became Christians we were sent by the Navy to England. It was there that I began to dig deeper into scripture, grow in my faith, take stock of my past offenses, and deal with them.
One such offense was against my older brother. Not long after I received my driver’s license at the age of 16, I was allowed to drive my father’s car to a football game and parked successfully on a side street. By the time the game ended, it was dark, and with little light and even less experience, I pulled out of the space and sideswiped the car parked in front of me. When I pulled into the garage, my parents were not there but my brother was. I begged him to take the blame, pleading that Dad would never let me drive again if he knew I had done it. To my relief, he agreed. I don’t remember what happened afterward but the memory haunted me for years until God prompted me to deal with it and make amends. I wrote two letters, one to my brother asking for his forgiveness and one to my parents, confessing what I had done to deceive them and asking for their forgiveness as well. To my relief and by God’s grace, all was forgiven and never mentioned again.
Jesus’ blessing of comfort for those who mourn is often misinterpreted. He is not speaking in the context of mourning over someone who has died, rather, it is mourning over our sin. Earlier in his gospel, Matthew wrote the account of John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus’ arrival by preaching the need for all to come to repentance, “for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Jesus has chosen this same theme when He opens His mouth to preach the Sermon on the Mount.
Without repentance or grieving over our sins, there is no comfort! Just as the Lord encouraged me to deal with my sinful action against my brother, which ultimately brought comfort to my heart, He is encouraging all of us, as Christ-followers, to mourn over our sins, acknowledge them, and deal with them by confessing. Now, confession is one thing; contrition is another. The Bible says “rend your hearts.”
Be broken.
Heartbroken.
Jesus knows all about spiritual mourning over sin—even though He had no sins to mourn. He is also heartbroken for us and mourns over our sins and the sinful world, grieved over the devastating effect it has on us. In Christ, with mourning and repentance, we can be confident that we are forgiven, and we can walk with a new, clean heart, infused with hope that provides the comfort that only Christ can give.
Dear Lord, we thank and praise You for this Lenten season of hope that offers us a fresh perspective and understanding of how seriously You take sin. As we come before You, grieved over our own sins, may we confess our sorrow and repent. You promise forgiveness for the sins that have grieved You. Thank you, Jesus, for the blessings You bestow out of our poverty and Godly mourning, and thank you for the hope of comfort that comes by Your grace. In Your gracious name we pray. Amen.
