The Jesus Way: Day 9 - Pastor Kerry Shook

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

The Jesus Way is summed up in Jesus’ greatest sermon, in Matthew chapter 5. Where is God when it hurts? Maybe you’re in a season of sorrow, and His presence seems so far away. Our pain often prevents us from feeling God’s nearness, but the truth is, He is closer to us than we are to our own selves.  On the surface, this beatitude seems like such a paradox – “Blessed (Happy) are those who mourn…”  It only makes sense when we open our hearts to receive the comfort God offers. Sorrow is indiscriminate. Heartbreak and pain will visit every one of us at some time or another. When it does, we have a choice to make. We can either receive God’s comfort or resist it. Our sorrows will either make us bitter or better. If we run from God, our grief can bury us. But if we run to God, pour out our sorrows before Him, we will experience the sweetness of His presence, comforting us with peace that passes understanding.

Our tears are precious to God, so precious that Psalm 56:8 (NLT) says, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” So don’t waste your sorrows. Cry out to the Lord. Receive the comfort of the Holy Spirit. His very name means “Comforter”.  The Holy Spirit is our Divine Comforter. One of the roles He plays in the lives of Christ followers is to comfort us in all our sorrows. In fact, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all play a part in comforting us. God the Father is called “… the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort….” in 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV). Then in verse five, the Bible says, “… our comfort abounds through Christ, (God the Son).” And in John 14, as Jesus prepared His disciples for their hour of sorrow, He told them, “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Comforter, and He will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit….” John 14:16-17a (TLB).

God, Himself, will never leave us comfortless. But that is not all. God also uses others to comfort us as well. In the same passage of 2 Corinthians 1 where the Bible speaks of the Father and the Son’s comfort it says we also receive comfort from others who have experienced God’s comfort in their lives. This is the healing ministry of the body of Christ. It’s why every Christ follower needs a local church. Consider this passage for a moment from two perspectives – one of receiving the comfort of God and the other in offering that comfort to others. Read it out loud to yourself:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”  2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV).

In what ways has God comforted you? How has He used others to comfort you? Now, in what ways may He want to use you to comfort others?  We all live in a fallen world with pain and heartache. Even when we live the Jesus Way, we are not exempt from sorrow. We need the comfort God offers us. We need the comfort that His followers offer us as well. And we need to offer that same comfort to others. To live the Jesus Way, we have to be a comforter to those around us who are hurting. There is hope for the hurting. Take your sorrows to Him.

The Psalmist declared in Psalm 30:5b (NKV) that “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”  It’s been my experience that you could change that word “morning” in this verse to “mourning” and it would express the truth of the second beatitude when we receive the comfort God offers. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the (mourning.)”

Joy comes in the morning. It’s only a sunrise away.

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To read this devotional online or catch up on past ones, visit https://kerryshook.org/blog.

Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.

Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.