“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
~ Matthew 5:4
In our culture, mourning is often seen as weakness—something to suppress, avoid, or rush through. But Jesus tells us the opposite: those who mourn are blessed. Why? Because in their grief, they become open to receive the deep comfort only God can give.
The word for mourn (pentheō) in Greek is the strongest word for grief. It describes the deep sorrow of losing someone dear or walking through heart-wrenching pain. Jesus doesn’t minimize it. He doesn’t tell us to “cheer up” or “move on.” Instead, He affirms mourning as a place of blessing because it is in our rawest pain that God’s comfort draws nearest.
This comfort isn’t shallow or temporary. Jesus promises: “they shall be comforted.” The verb is future tense, pointing both to present comfort through the Holy Spirit and to ultimate comfort in eternity, when every tear will be wiped away (Rev. 21:4). The same Spirit called the Comforter (John 14:16) is the one who meets us in grief, whispering peace, hope, and assurance of God’s love.
Applied to biblical health, this beatitude speaks directly into the reality of sickness and loss. Illness often brings mourning through the loss of strength, dreams, routines, or even loved ones. Yet Jesus declares that even here, you are not cursed but blessed because God Himself comes to comfort you.
And just as we’ve seen in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4, the comfort we receive becomes the comfort we extend. Those who have walked through mourning often become the most powerful ministers of comfort to others in grief. Out of their own tears comes a well of compassion, purpose, and passion to walk with others in sorrow. From pain, birth purpose. From mourning, birth ministry.
Jesus promises that mourning doesn’t end in despair but in comfort. It may take time. It may not come in the way we expect. But it will come because He has declared it.
So if you are in mourning today, hear this: you are not forgotten. Your grief is not wasted. You are blessed, not because pain itself is good, but because God’s comfort is certain. His Spirit is near, His people will surround you, and His eternal promise is that sorrow will not have the last word.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for promising comfort to those who mourn. When grief overwhelms me, remind me that I am not forgotten but blessed because of Your presence. Comfort me by Your Spirit, and use my tears to become a testimony of Your faithfulness to others in pain. Amen.
