“Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.'” (Matthew 5:1-4 ESV)

“Blessed are those who mourn,” says Jesus, “for they shall be comforted.” That’s what we look for when we are mourning, isn’t it? Some kind of comfort, however tiny. Something that will make us feel better. Something to fill the hole aching in our hearts.

The trouble is, we usually don’t find much. The person we loved is still gone. The hopes that were broken, the plans that got ruined—the future we counted on is never going to happen now. All we have left are memories that cut like shards of glass.

“Time will heal you,” people say. And often, time does help a bit. But not enough, never enough. The ache is still there. And that’s not surprising, is it? Because that ache is telling us that the world is not what it’s supposed to be. Our paradise is broken. God made us for one world, and now we live in a different one—a ruined one, contaminated by sin and grief and death.

But Jesus says to us, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” How can that be? God would have to break the world and make it again new, for us to be truly comforted. God would have to sift the evil out of the world, out of our lives, out of our very hearts, in order for us to be comforted.

But that’s what God has done, when He came into this world as the Man Christ Jesus. He came into this world to break the power of evil through His own suffering, death, and resurrection. He came to remake us as God’s own people through His own blood.

And now that we belong to Him, God’s Holy Spirit is working inside us, changing our hearts, making us fit for the new heavens and new earth that God is bringing—where “‘the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’ And He who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new'” (Revelation 21:3-5a ESV).

Prayer: Lord, You are my hope. Help me to wait for You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Used by permission from International Lutheran Laymen’s League, all rights reserved

Reflection Questions:
1. When you are grieving, what do you do to feel better?
2. What grief are you dealing with now?
3. What is one thing you look forward to about God’s kingdom?