‘God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’ Matthew 5:4(NLT)
‘Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.’ James 4:5-1(NLT)
‘I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. ‘ John 16:20(NLT)
‘So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ‘ 1 Peter 5:6(NLT)
Book Four (Psalms 90–106)A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
‘Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from beginning to end, you are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals!” For you, a thousand years are as a passing day, as brief as a few night hours. You sweep people away like dreams that disappear. They are like grass that springs up in the morning. In the morning it blooms and flourishes, but by evening it is dry and withered. We wither beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your fury. You spread out our sins before you— our secret sins—and you see them all. We live our lives beneath your wrath, ending our years with a groan. Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away. Who can comprehend the power of your anger? Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve. Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. O Lord , come back to us! How long will you delay? Take pity on your servants! Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery! Replace the evil years with good. Let us, your servants, see you work again; let our children see your glory. And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!’ Psalms 90:1-17(NLT)
‘What sorrow awaits you who are fat and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger awaits you. What sorrow awaits you who laugh now, for your laughing will turn to mourning and sorrow.’ Luke 6:25(NLT)
For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Nathan the prophet came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.
‘Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. For I was born a sinner— yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me— now let me rejoice. Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you. Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you. You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit— with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.’ Psalms 51:1-19(NLT)
QUIET MOMENT
As Jesus speaks the Beatitudes, we hear the voice of God that wants us to draw near and be vulnerable before Him. The Lord wants so much to bless us and to pour His abundance upon our poverty, if only we would draw near to Him. Read James 4:5-10. Open yourself up to Him. Share your heart. Lay it bare before Him. In God’s love, you have nothing to fear and everything to gain.
GOING DEEPER
Blessed are those who mourn, for they truly see their sin and truly know their Savior. We are often afraid of our sinfulness. Ashamed. Do you still feel unforgiven? Don’t be afraid and don’t underestimate what Christ can do when we truly mourn over our sin.
Jesus describes the blessing of humbling ourselves before Him. When we bow before Him, understanding our poverty, confessing our sin, and grieving over it, He promises joy on the other side. It may not feel good in the moment, but when it is complete, it will bring forth a full harvest of righteousness, great joy, and much freedom! Read John 16:20, 1 Peter 5:6, and Psalm 90. Take note of the key points.
What does Jesus say in Luke 6:25? Jesus tells us that we will mourn and weep eventually if we continue to go forward with our hearts hard and unwilling to express our need for Him. Cry out to the Lord if you don’t feel hungry or needy for Christ.
The Lord has many blessings for us when we come to the point of being able to see our poverty and mourn our sin. David knows the blessing of true mourning. Read his prayer in Psalm 51 and pray along with him.
We never know the complete comfort of our Father’s love until we have completely laid ourselves bare in His presence, believing in His power and His kindness to forgive and cleanse us. What comfort! What freedom!
REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Ask Him for His healing hands to touch your heart so you can see your sin as He does. No need for fear, for perfect love casts out all fear. When He gently reveals sin, such deep sorrow will come. But He is big enough for all of our sin. Cry out to Him for mercy.
TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART AND BRINGING IT TO LIFE
Choose one truth from today and apply it to your heart. Take it with you throughout the day.
from Jesus, I Need You Part 7