I was reading through William Barclay’s commentary on Matthew. He has some thoughts about the second beatitude on the Sermon on the Mount that just blessed me. This is a synopsis of what he wrote:
Blessed are those who mourn – When people go to God in godly sorrow for their sin they receive the full welcome of the love of God, and in that love their sorrow is abundantly comforted. However, there is more to his beatitude than this. The Greek word for comfort also means to summon to one’s side as an ally, a helper, a witness. With this in view, due to the wonder of his grace God does not treat us as if he will never trust us again. Instead, he invites us to join him and be his ally, his helper, his witnesses in the world. God sends us back into the field of our defeat in the certainty that his grace can turn our past defeat into future victory. And God does so much more. The Greek word for comfort also means to energize. God energizes us, filling us with new courage, new thoughts, and adventure. As a result, our lives are caught up into the strength and the beauty of God.