With Us

Matthew 5:4

Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn" (Matthew 5:4). I'm pretty sure mourning involves some good crying. I hate crying. My eyes get red, my face gets red, my nose drips, my eye lids get puffy--I am a complete mess. The last thing I want when I am crying is company, not even good company.

But when I cry and want to be left alone, God still seeks to be with me. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). You can't have comfort without a comforter. My need draw a Savior. My tears draw the one will someday "wipe all tears away" (Revelation 21:4).

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" encapsulates the gospel. This verse shows us the intersection between human and divine. Where I grieve--he brings comfort. Where I am empty--he is full. Where I am weak--he is strong. Where my human need is--God is.

I'm reminded of Matthew 1:23: "'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel'"--which means, 'God with us.'" God is with us. He is with us in our sorrows. He is with us in our conviction of our own weakness. He is here.

He is with us when we cry.

When I'm in my room, with my door locked, in the secret, the most sacred intimate place of my tears, He comes.

"You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book" (Psalms 56:8).