Spirit of Heaviness

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4 (NKJV)

To follow the "poor in spirit", Jesus focuses on those who mourn. Spiritually, it is a natural progression, the way up is down. In order to mourn we must first empty ourselves. To have possessions is to already have filled voids. To be poor is to open those voids, to allow for emptiness, to allow a place of mourning.

What is it that is to be mourned. It is to grieve over sin and evil times. One may also mourn over his own spiritual state. We can always be closer to the Lord; we can always be farther from sin.

There is a direct reaction to this spiritual state, remember. Those who mourn will be comforted. That comfort comes from the Lord alone. "How great a blessing is sorrow, since it gives room for our Lord to administer comfort! Our griefs are blessed, for they are a point of contact with the divine Comforter!" (Spurgeon) Mourning reaps comfort. The Lord always has those who mourn on His heart. We see this to be the case in the book of Isaiah:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." Isaiah 61:1-3 (KJV)

This world is ripe for mourning. The signs of the times are upon us. We are almost at the end.