Happy in Sorrow

Can happiness come from sorrow?  Jesus said, “Blessed (happy) are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.”  This isn’t irrational if we consider it along spiritual lines.  These beatitudes are the rules for the Kingdom of Heaven.  They are how to live out the truth of that kingdom on this earth we daily inhabit.

Three ways are clearly taught in scripture about how sorrow and happiness work hand in hand.  The first way is inward.  We should be freely ready to admit our sins.  We are not perfect in the flesh nor are we going to become so.  We sin, but that sin should lead us to sorrow over it.  We will not sorrow as others who have no hope.  We will sorrow over having offended our loving Lord and confess it to Him.  He has promised that “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  There is comfort in the forgiveness of our loving Lord.  Our sorrow led us to confession and the joy of forgiveness.

Another way is a mixture of inward and outward.  In this world we are daily confronted by both the sinfulness of man and its horrible effects.  This should also produce sorrow in our hearts.  There is no way we should be indifferent to the sin around us.  The comfort is in the truth that one day Jesus will reign.  He will deal righteously and justly with both sinful behavior and its effects.  We are to be comforted that God will make right the wrongs that we see.  This is an oft repeated promise to the Jews in the Old Testament when they considered the sad effects their sins had had on them.

Thirdly we can see constructive use of our mourning.  In II Corinthians Paul told us that we have been comforted so that we can comfort others.  When we can use the comfort of God to comfort those that mourn, we have done the work of an evangelist.  We bring joy and hope to others and touch them with the love of God.  This positive use of our comfort for them brings us natural happiness at helping our neighbors and friends.  Truly blessed are those that mourn in faith. 

This brings us to the second stanza of Isaac Watts hymn from yesterday, “Blest Are the Humble Souls That See”.  “Blest are the men of broken heart, who mourn for sin with inward smart; the blood of Christ divinely flows, a healing balm for all their woes.

 

Visit my website at www.davidccraig.net for inspiring Christian books.  Coming this month is my newest book Taking Care of Joe.  This is the story of a caregiver for an Alzheimer’s patient.  See how God adds His grace in the face of this horrible disease and how living a life of love is living a life NOT interrupted.  You may also find some of my selected daily devotions at FEBC.org.  FEBC is a vital missionary outreach to many countries that are closed to traditional missionary work.