I want to be very transparent here — in the past, as I’ve read over this verse (and those surrounding it, which are often called the Beatitudes), I kind of skipped right over them.  

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Yup, as a follower of Jesus, I know all these things to be true, but it ended up just being a “head” knowledge versus a “heart” knowledge. Because, for the life of me, I couldn’t nail this devo down. It seemed like it should have been an easy one, knowing the number of times I’ve read (and agreed with) this verse. But I really struggled with this one. Let me walk you through my process and why…

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First, I wanted to nail down what it means to be blessed. Is it making more money, getting a better job, having that perfect relationship? Maybe it’s getting all of those material things I have wanted and didn’t get for Christmas. Maybe it’s simply being happy. According to resources in the Blue Letter Bible app, “blessed” is the Greek word makarios, and it means “fortunate or well off; happy.” Okay, so I got that part right, but….

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Our verse today says that those who mourn are “happy?”  Doesn’t mourning mean you’re sad? So how can I be happy if I am sad? Again, back to Blue Letter Bible, and we see that the Greek word for “mourn” is pentheo, which means…to mourn…UGH. You can’t define a word using the word…Let’s turn to the Internet to see what it says: to mourn is to feel or show deep sorrow or regret. Right, so if I have deep sorrow or regret, how can I be happy?

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This is where it’s really important to dig into the context and intention of this verse. This verse comes among the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-11), and they describe an attitude of what we, as Christ followers, should have – how we should live. These “attitudes” should be taken as a whole and should form our character.  

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So, the paradigm has flipped. Instead of looking at these verses as an “if this, then that,” we need to look at them as a call for the way we should live. Let’s look at another “attitude” in this passage: “Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (vs. 3). Here, Jesus is talking not of physical or worldly poverty, but of a poverty of Spirit – our sinful nature. To be poor in Spirit is to know we are broken and miss the mark, to agree that without God, we are nothing, but with him, we have value beyond measure. This knowledge THEN leads to our mourning over our sin and broken nature (vs. 4)— and when we do that— when we acknowledge our sin, confess it to God, and turn from it, THEN we will experience blessing. And this blessing is very likely not a return to us in a physical form, but rather the peace and confidence that we are being formed more like Christ.  

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When we are moved to mourn over our sin, from this heart posture of repentance and submission to him, Jesus promises to unleash blessing in our lives.

Are you mourning something today? If so, consider seeking God about the sin that led to this grief…

• Maybe you’re mourning something that's just the result of the broken world we live in, where people get sick and die – allow God to turn your heart to his promise of restoration as you long for the renewal of Heaven.  

• Maybe life feels like ashes because of someone else's sin - lament that to God and ask him to help you walk into compassion and forgiveness of them as you walk the road of mourning.  

• Or maybe you're mourning your own choices today, and you need to accept the grace of the Father, asking him to bring restoration where your sin has sown devastation.  

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When we invite God into our mourning, especially over what really breaks his heart – sin, he promises to bring beauty from those ashes.