Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – (Matthew 5:4, NIV)
Great blessings belong to those who are sad now. God will comfort them. – (Matthew 5:4, ERV)
God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. – (Matthew 5:4, NLT)
This morning, as I checked my messages, there was a notice from a friend at church informing me that an incredible lady – a wife and mother about my age, has passed. It has been both inspiring and heartbreaking to watch, for she battled cancer with courage and strength over the last several years, as her family fought alongside her. There was a sense of maintaining as much normalcy as possible, despite the devastation that all must have been feeling. The comfort in this heart-breaking loss, is that she is free of the pain and walking in glory. That being said, her husband has lost his best friend, and the children have lost their mother. Grief is a heavy space. As I pray for the family and those closest to her, I lay hold of the promise held in this verse in Matthew. Though it is not an easy road, God will bring comfort. God will bring His perfect peace. May we hold fast to the promise that He holds the grieving in His hands, and God is our Source of comfort in every season.
God of all comfort, 
We lean into Thee;
For the ones mourning,
Bring Your grace and peace.
No words that we speak,
Nor acts done in love;
Can comfort the grief,
Like You Lord, above.
For You know each heart,
How to help the ache;
To soothe the sorrow,
And mend the heartbreak.
O Lord, be near them,
As they walk through pain;
Be their close comfort,
‘til just love remains.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You are our comfort when we grieve. Thank You that You know this family and all that they need. Thank You that You will bring exactly what they need to navigate their new normal. Forgive us for forgetting our own mortality, and not receiving each day we wake as an incredible gift of time that not all are afforded. Teach us to appreciate each new day, and to seek You in all things. Show us how to love well, those who are mourning. May we be used in the practical as well as the prayerful. May many come into a lasting relationship with You. Be glorified O God, as we praise You for being our comfort and our peace, even in the most heartbreaking of times. Amen.
© Shannon Elizabeth Grabrick and Revelations in Writing, May 2011 – present
(There is) A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. – Ecclesiastes 3:4
Revelations In Writing 