HAPPINESS OUT OF SORROW
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:4, R.S.V.
How does God comfort us? Does He play spiritual magic and simply remove sad feelings? And is there more than one kind of mourning?
Even children cannot fully be comforted unless they are reassured in their hearts that everything is all right. The older we get, the less satisfying a pat on the head or overly simple words are to our bruised and troubled souls. As Christians, we find comfort in the death of loved ones when we know that their lives are "hid in Jesus." But what about the father or child who died "unsaved"?
What about all the terribly unfair things that keep happening on this miserable old planet? Who hears us? Who can shoulder our griefs with us as we cry silently in the darkened night, "Why? Why?"
God can. He knows it all, and more. Hear the tenderness of His great heart as He speaks to our need: "I hear you! 'I have seen your tears,' and 'I will heal you' " (2 Kings 20:5, R.S.V.)! That is what the whole plan of redemption is about. God is interested not in just "getting us out of here." He is committed to making us whole. This includes making us more adequate to handle our sorrows while yet on this earth.
Our restoration is top priority for God because He knows that eternity will only be as secure as are the people who dwell there. And He knows that security is the bedrock of our comfort. By healing our minds, by giving us understanding and hope, God makes us fit for heaven. Fit for heaven because we realize that heaven, and subsequently our remade earth, is a fit place in which to dwell. Fit by reason of the kind of God that is sovereign there.
It is a happy thing to discover that God is so much greater than the sorrows of this life, that He relates to us in the most healing ways. He not only gives us answers but encourages us to ask more questions. He offers more than just a change of location at the Second Coming; He offers a change of the quality of life, both now and eternally. He assures us that He does not wish merely to control the circumstances of our lives; He wants to bring resolution.
It will be good to go home to be with such a wonderful Father God.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matt. 5:4, R.S.V.
How does God comfort us? Does He play spiritual magic and simply remove sad feelings? And is there more than one kind of mourning?
Even children cannot fully be comforted unless they are reassured in their hearts that everything is all right. The older we get, the less satisfying a pat on the head or overly simple words are to our bruised and troubled souls. As Christians, we find comfort in the death of loved ones when we know that their lives are "hid in Jesus." But what about the father or child who died "unsaved"?
What about all the terribly unfair things that keep happening on this miserable old planet? Who hears us? Who can shoulder our griefs with us as we cry silently in the darkened night, "Why? Why?"
God can. He knows it all, and more. Hear the tenderness of His great heart as He speaks to our need: "I hear you! 'I have seen your tears,' and 'I will heal you' " (2 Kings 20:5, R.S.V.)! That is what the whole plan of redemption is about. God is interested not in just "getting us out of here." He is committed to making us whole. This includes making us more adequate to handle our sorrows while yet on this earth.
Our restoration is top priority for God because He knows that eternity will only be as secure as are the people who dwell there. And He knows that security is the bedrock of our comfort. By healing our minds, by giving us understanding and hope, God makes us fit for heaven. Fit for heaven because we realize that heaven, and subsequently our remade earth, is a fit place in which to dwell. Fit by reason of the kind of God that is sovereign there.
It is a happy thing to discover that God is so much greater than the sorrows of this life, that He relates to us in the most healing ways. He not only gives us answers but encourages us to ask more questions. He offers more than just a change of location at the Second Coming; He offers a change of the quality of life, both now and eternally. He assures us that He does not wish merely to control the circumstances of our lives; He wants to bring resolution.
It will be good to go home to be with such a wonderful Father God.
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