THE MOURNERS

Wiersbe (2007) opens with a rather telling statement. He states that to find out about a person's character, find out what makes them laugh and what makes them weep. I have found this statement to be true. I can remember middle and high school days when students laughed at other people and situations that were not funny. Truly, this is an indicator of maturity or immaturity. Wiersbe tells about a train accident that was tragic. The rescuers found an infant who was alive but her mother was dead. When they took the child from her mother she laughed, but when they took away her candy the child broke out in loud screaming and weeping. The child had no conception of death but she did value her sweets. That which causes us to weep shows what we value.

 

Wiersbe makes another profound statement. "Whenever you enter into the presence of joy, you make yourself a candidate for sorrow." (p. 48). He shows this through the example of marriage. A young couple who marries experiences great joy. But, shortly into the marriage the young bride faces a terminal illness. Anything that has potential to bring joy can also bring deep sorrow. The same can be said about the birth and early death of a child. Before sounding too depressing, I do want to add a point that Wiersbe goes on to say: "Jesus did not tell His disciples to go out and look for sorrow, but He did tell them that He was able to transform their tears and bring them comfort. Of itself, sorrow never makes a person better. I have seen it make people bitter. But sorrow plus Jesus Christ can bring a transforming experience of power into the life of the one who is mourning." Sorrow + Jesus is what makes the difference. I have seen sorrow that makes people bitter. I have also seen sorrow that has turned into comfort by God. Indeed, Jesus is the difference maker.

Wiersbe then goes on into the next section to define different kinds of sorrow. These are natural sorrow, unnatural sorrow, and supernatural sorrow. In natural sorrow, we find many descriptions of this in Scripture. Jeremiah wept, Paul wept, King David wept, Jesus wept. Grief is a natural part of life. "When God created the first man, He gave him the ability to weep, and He did this before man had sinned. Natural weeping is not sinful. On the contrary, it is a gift from God. There is healing in natural weeping. Doctors and psychologists have helped us to understand what really happens when we mourn, and their discoveries have helped us (with God's assistance) to heal the brokenhearted. Natural sorrow expressed in mourning releases a healing process in people's lives that enables them to accept the pain, work their way through it, and adjust to life again." (p. 49). Not only is weeping natural, it should be encouraged. Far too many times after a tragic event or loss we hear adults telling their child not to cry. We hear messages telling men not to weep. Sadly it has left a generation of men unable to express themselves genuinely and constructively. God has given to each of us the gift of tears and we must not suppress the tears when sadness comes. Wiersbe goes on to describe unnatural sorrow. This is the kind that is contrary to the will of God. This is destructive sorrow that does not heal but makes the wounds deeper. He also says it isolates oneself from reality and is selfish sorrow. There is guilt instead of grace and it blinds someone from the comfort of God. According to Wiersbe, when King David's son led a revolt against him, the soldiers fought viciously. Consequently Absalom was killed. King David said these words: "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!" (2 Samuel 18:33). Wiersbe calls this unnatural sorrow. "While we admire David's love, we question his thinking. Would it have been better for the nation for David to die and for rebellious Absalom to live?" (p. 52). This kind of sorrow is unnatural sorrow that is not productive, selfish, and illogical. This is not to say that King David was wrong to love his son. In his cry, we can clearly sense his heart for his son. I do believe that he did however forget that he has other responsibilities.

The third sorrow is supernatural sorrow. There are three words Wiersbe makes clear to describe: "We must distinguish, however, among repentance and remorse and regret. When my consciousness of sin rests only in my mind, then it is regret. When it affects my mind and my heart, it is remorse, and remorse is a dangerous thing. But when my concern over my sin brings me to the place where I am willing to turn from it and obey God—when my concern affects my will as well as my mind and my heart—then I have experienced true repentance" (p. 54). Judas shows us remorse. He felt sorry for what he did but that sorrow did not enable him to repent. He however ended his own life. That is why remorse is such a dangerous thing. Regret however only impacts the mind and not the will also. I did something wrong. However I do nothing to change. Repentance involves confession, and a total turning from that destructive behavior and a turning to God. Wiersbe warns against two extremes. We are not to be too hard on ourselves about our sin and the sins of others but we are also not to be too soft on sin.

What exactly are we to mourn over. "But this mourning goes even deeper. We repent not only of what we do and what we are, but we also mourn over what sin does in this world. Jeremiah wept over the sins of his people. Jesus wept over the sins of Jerusalem. Paul wept as he ministered in the churches. All of creation is groaning because of sin, and the believer joins in that groaning (Romans 8:22-23). Although we thank God that He gives to us in this world "everything for our enjoyment" (1 Timothy 6:17), we also weep because our Father's world has been so polluted and plundered by sin. The present crisis in ecology is but a symptom of that deeper crisis. Many people weep over the loss of precious resources and the marring of irreplaceable beauty, but few weep over the godless rebellion in people's hearts that has caused this crisis" (p. 58). This kind of mourning is not found in our modern church. When we do find it is seen as strange. I went once to a prayer meeting where the sanctuary was full of adults mourning over their sin and the sins of the world. I was very young in my faith then and did not understand what was going on. I see now as I consider the heart of God and how Godly men and women of the past mourn over sin, that sin has caused wreckage and devastation in this world.

What is the result? The verse says for those who mourn, they will be comforted. Wiersbe goes on to say by what ways a believer is comforted. He lists several tools God uses to bring us comfort. There is the comfort from the Scriptures and the many promises and examples of comfort there. There is the inner comfort from the Holy Spirit. I have known this resource having faced several significant losses. It is an unexplainable ministering of the Holy Spirit in the midst of deep pain. God not only uses His Word, His Spirit, but also His people. The church also comforts us in our times of trouble. My fellowship was a tremendous comfort to me when my grandmother passed away three years ago. Lastly, Wiersbe says that God Himself comforts us. "Our English word comfort comes from two Latin words that mean "with strength" (The words fortify and fortress carry the same meaning.) We are prone to confuse comfort and sympathy, but the' are not identical. To sympathize means "to feel with," whereas to comfort means "to encourage, to give strength." Our mourning puts us in touch with the eternal resources of God, and the results is God's comfort. "When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted" (Psalm 138:3).

Our God is the "God of all comfort" (2 Corinthians 1:3). His attitude toward us is not one of hostility but one of love and' encouragement. He is not against us; He is for us. This is one of the emphases in Romans 8. The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us (v. 26). God the Father delivered up His Son for us (v. 32). God the Son is making intercession for us (v. 34). No wonder Paul cried, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (v. 31). '"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope'" (Jeremiah 29:11 NASB). Our comfort and encouragement is God Himself" (p. 60).

Prayer:

Father, what a promise! What an encouragement you are in our times of loss and uncertainty. You encourage and strengthen us in our deepest hurts. You are our hope when we can imagine no hope for ourselves. As I sit here, I am unsure if I can ever walk again without pain. I don't know Your purpose for this, but I trust in Your unfailing love and promise of protection and care. Indeed, there is so much sin and trouble in this world and I pray that You allow me a glimpse into Your heart for a world who is lost and broken. Teach me to love like You and to see the world through Your eyes. Enable me with wisdom and opportunity to care for someone who is hurting and brokenhearted.