Comforted In Mourning Isaiah 61:1-3 Matthew 5:4 Romans 12:15 Job 2:11-13 Jeremiah 31:13 Psalms 30:5 Lamentations 3:21-24 Revelations 21:3-5 10.14.19

COMFORTED IN MOURNING

BREAD

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, ² to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.   Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  Matthew 5:4 (NIV)

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Romans 12:15 (NIV)

¹¹ When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. ¹² When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. ¹³ Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.   Job 2:11-13 (NIV)

¹³ Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well.  I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. Jeremiah 31:13 (NIV)

⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.   Psalms 30:5 (NIV)

²¹ Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: ²² Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ²⁴ I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:21-24 (NIV)

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  ⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”   Revelation 21:3-5 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Grace softens the edges of past pains, helping to highlight the eternal. What you are left with is peace that’s profound, joy that’s unshakable, faith that’s ironclad.”   Joni Eareckson Tada  

“Fewer doctrines of the Christian faith are more comforting than the sovereignty of God. It humbles you in good seasons, provides hope in hard seasons, and gives joy in all seasons. The doctrine of God's sovereignty is a constant nourishment for the soul. The sovereignty of God is a sweet pillow that you can lay your head on at night. It is a beautiful truth not only that God is in control over all, but is also working everything out- the good and the bad--for your good and for His glory. This sweet doctrine is medicine for the soul that you can take in any season of life.”  David Qaoud 

“Do not think when we are suffering in the fiery furnace He does not care.  Do not think that He sits lofty in the heavenlies paying us no mind.  Our Master knows the intensity of the heat and the exact longevity of all our trials and tribulations designed to bring about His divine purposes of unmingled good and blessedness for every heir of mercy.  Our Savior suffered with a magnitude we know nothing of so that heaven’s doors would be open to us.  If on our way to our true home we undergo the arrows of Satan’s quiver, take heart my friend and do not lose your hope or joy.  Many have traversed this same path and received the warmest of welcomes home.   Weeping may endure for the night but joy, yes joy, comes in the morning.”  BHY   

“Canst thou answer this, believer?  Canst thou find any reason why thou art so often mourning instead of rejoicing?  Why yield to gloomy anticipations?  Who told thee that the night would never end in day?  Who told thee that the winter of thy discontent would proceed from frost to frost, from snow and ice, and hail, to deeper snow, and yet more heavy tempest of despair?  Knowest thou not that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer succeed winter?  Hope thou then!  Hope thou ever!  For God fails thee not!”    Charles H. Spurgeon

“Sadness is a gift to avoid the nothingness of numbness, and all hard places need water. Grief is a gift, and after a rain of tears, there is always more of you than before. Rain always brings growth.”   Ann Voskamp

“What is your personal version of: this shouldn’t have happened.  Frankly, dear reader, I’m sure something that ‘shouldn’t have’ has happened to you. Because we live in a broken world.  Therefore, since life as we know it is inherently flawed and culture is a poor conduit of true, soul-satisfying happiness, where does that leave us?  Is it possible for happiness, sadness, and even ‘badness’ to coexist?  And if so, how do we orient our lives to be authentically joyful while not ignoring or becoming immune to the calamity and chaos around us and sometimes in us?  The key to hanging on to our happy—our deep sense of fulfillment, contentment, and delight—when horrible things happen is to recognize this:  Real, God-imbued happiness is not the absence of sadness or badness. Rather, it is hanging on to the truth of His sovereign goodness regardless of what’s going on within or around us.  The Bible makes it abundantly clear that happy and sad are not mutually exclusive.  Delight and despair absolutely coexist. They ebb and flow like the tides.  Grief may surge while happy hangs back a bit, and vice versa.  However, in Christ, each wholly exists in the heart of mankind.  Circumstances may prompt one to rise to the occasion and eclipse the other for a while.  And our personality bent may compel us to manifest one more readily than the other.  But the proverbial bucket that dips into the well of our souls has the potential to scoop up both genuine joy and profound sorrow.”   Lisa Harper

“Even when we feel like we’ve lost everything — we always still have something to give — and this always gives us back joy.”   Ann Voskamp

“A short stay on earth will make heaven more heavenly. Nothing makes rest so enjoyable as work; nothing renders security so pleasant as exposure to danger. The bitter cups of earth will give a relish to the new wine that sparkles in the golden bowls of heaven. Our battered armor and scarred countenances will render more glorious our victory above, when we are welcomed to the seats of those who have overcome the world.”  C. H. Spurgeon revised by Alistair Begg

“When I die I shall then have my greatest grief and my greatest joy – my greatest grief that I have done so little for Jesus, and my greatest joy that Jesus has done so much for me.”   William Grimshaw

HEART SAVOR

·         For the believer in Jesus, weeping is temporary, joy is eternal.

·         God is not unconcerned by our trials, tribulations and sufferings – indeed, He uses all these difficulties of this fallen world to bring forth beauty out of our ashes, the oil of gladness out of our mourning, and garments of praise out of our spirits of despair.

·         Often in ministering to those in acute suffering, the person needs to be present the mouth mute.