Finding Comfort in Grief Through Matthew 5
I was reading through Scripture today, and Matthew 5 really stood out to me.
I've found that it helps me to picture the whole scene happening. It catches my attention more and makes the Word of God come alive in a real-life setting that sticks with me. I picture Jesus and His disciples traveling throughout the countryside, blessing people everywhere they went. Loving people well. Healing. Teaching. Showing compassion. Living what love looks like out loud. Teaching the Word of God with a tenderness and firmness that only Jesus could.
I'll be honest, I was reading this chapter because I was looking for what the Bible says about walking through the loss of someone you love when the pain feels deeper than you can even put into words.
Matthew 5:4 came to the surface.
"God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
If I'm being honest, in that moment, it wasn't as comforting as I wanted it to be. It's hard to feel blessed when the only way you can imagine being blessed is having your loved one back, right beside you.
So I kept reading.
Then verse 7 caught my attention.
"God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
I couldn't help but think about grief.
Sometimes it's not just the loss of your loved one that hurts. Sometimes it's how you lost them. Maybe someone made a decision that forever changed your family's story. Maybe you find yourself wanting someone else to feel the same pain you're carrying. Maybe anger feels easier than mercy.
I firmly believe anger is part of the grieving process. Jesus understands our emotions. But I've also learned not to stay there for long.
Mercy is one of the hardest things we'll ever be called to give because, by definition, it's given to someone who doesn't deserve it.
But then again...isn't that exactly what Jesus did for us?
None of us are walking this earth without sin. We will all make mistakes. We'll all hurt people we never intended to hurt. We'll all need forgiveness. We'll all need mercy—probably more times than we'd like to admit.
If I hope someone will extend mercy to me in my worst moments, I have to be willing to extend mercy to others in theirs.
As I continued reading, I loved the way Jesus laid it all out.
I don't necessarily love what some of the verses acknowledge, though. Verse 10 says,
"God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs."
That verse acknowledges something we don't always like to think about—Jesus knew His followers would be persecuted here on earth. We hear about it almost daily as Christians in other countries continue to suffer simply because they follow Him.
Yes, Heaven will be incredible for those who faithfully stood for the Kingdom. But here on earth...what suffering they have endured.
As I kept thinking about that, my mind went to Deuteronomy 31:8:
"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor abandon you."
That verse stopped me.
No matter what we go through, He has already gone ahead of us.
He already knows the road.
He already knows the heartbreak.
He already knows the questions we'll ask.
And He promises to meet us there.
When we turn to Him for comfort, He comforts us.
When we lean on Him for guidance, He leads us.
When we feel like we're walking through something no one could possibly understand, He reminds us that He has never left our side.
Maybe that's what Jesus wanted His listeners on that hillside to know.
Not that life would be easy.
Not that they would avoid grief.
Not that they would avoid persecution.
But that they would never walk through it alone.
And honestly...that's the part that finally brought me comfort.
He has already gone before us.
He will never fail us.
He will never abandon us.