Those who are poor in spirit, those who are broken, will weep. Brokenness implies pain. But mourning goes much deeper. Mourning means that we embrace the “aches” of life. The longer we live, the more we lose. Eventually we will lose our life. Our culture encourages us to live in denial. We are often encouraged to move on, find closure, or get over it. But grieving is necessary to wholeness and healing.
In an effort to deal with pain, many people self-medicate – they drink alcohol, or use other intoxicants. The goal is not to feel better, but to feel nothing. Intoxication is not a cure; instead it prolongs recovery.
Sometimes, Christians embrace a faux spirituality that discourages expressions of distress. Most of the worship services in contemporary churches are designed for celebration. There is no opportunity for those who are broken, or suffering great grief, to express lament in prayer or song. Since we don’t make a place for them, they stop coming to church. We have so focused on celebration that many Christians don’t know how to embrace those who suffer. Their presence in our small groups is awkward. We must hear the words of Paul: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). We must learn to pray and worship with believers who are mourning.
Jesus encourages us to live in this present age with our eyes wide open to experiences of suffering and pain. Jesus, God-with-us, declared, “Blessed are those who mourn.” God gives liberty to those who are “distressed and dispirited” to cry out in great lament (Matthew 9:36). There are many reasons to lament – poverty, injustice, warfare, sinfulness, physical and mental illness, and ultimately death. As the corruption of this present age becomes more and more apparent, the people of God lift their voices in lament as a protest to suffering and death.
Mourning is the first utterance of the Holy Spirit. Paul wrote, “the whole creation groans and suffers . . .” When the first act of human sinfulness corrupted the good and blessed creation the Spirit of God groaned in agony, and continues to groan. Throughout history humans have suffered the effects of a corrupted world. Human language fails to adequately express the depths of grief and lament. Often our distress is so great that we don’t know how to pray. So, the Holy Spirit – God-in-us – intercedes “with groaning too deep for words” (Romans 8:22, 26). Mourning can only be expressed in groans and tears. When our soul is distressed we must learn to give voice to God-in-us, that is, we must cry out “in the Spirit.”
Mourning is not an expression of anxiety. Anxiety is an expression of faithlessness, seeking to control one’s well-being instead of trusting God. Jesus warned,
I tell you, do not be anxious about your life . . . which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?. . . O you of little faith? . . . But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (Matthew 6:25-34).
Whereas, anxiety is turned into oneself; mourning is a complaint addressed to God.
Mourning is not an expression of anger. An outburst of anger is the act of one who feels threatened; it is an act of self-preservation. It is also an expression of one who is devoid of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:19-20). However, if we don’t properly mourn we may be embittered by anger. Chronic anger is an aggressive form of depression. Proper mourning moves us through our grief. Whereas, anger provokes us to act in our self-interest; we mourn because we know that we are powerless to act. Therefore, we cry out and plead with God to intervene.
There is a profound difference between whining and mourning.
Then all the congregation lifted up their voices and cried, and the people wept that night. All the sons of Israel grumbled. . . “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land . . . would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (Exodus 16:1-3).
The Hebrew word lun is variously translated as “grumbled” (NASB), “complained” (NLT), or “murmured” (KJV). The word “whined” may be the preferred translation in this context. Throughout their wilderness wandering the children of Israel were chronic whiners. Yahweh had acted to deliver the people from Egyptian slavery and guide them to the Promised Land. The delivered people began their journey with singing and dancing (Exodus 15). As soon as they encountered their first obstacle, their joyful song was turned into an irritating whine. Even as Yahweh continued to provide for their every need, they continued to yearn for a return to Egypt. Many of the Israelites determined that it was in their best interest to embrace life in Egypt over the mission of Yahweh. The difficulty of their journey should not be dismissed. There were challenges to be faced. But, they had to learn to trust Yahweh.
However, the people of Israel whined “against the Lord” (Exodus 16:7). In stubbornness, Pharaoh refused to release the people of Israel (Exodus 7:14). Likewise, in the wilderness the people of Israel stubbornly rebelled against the leadership of Yahweh (Deuteronomy 9:6, 13). Whining is the cry of a stubborn child who resists parental guidance. Whining is self-centered manipulation. Whining is an expression of stubbornness, rebellion, and protest against the purpose of God. Whiners resist the more difficult path of the wilderness and desire to return to Egypt.
On the other hand, mourners embrace the difficulty of the wilderness journey. It was the mourning of Israel that provoked Yahweh to remember his promise to Abraham.
Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them (Exodus 2:23- 25).
Israel sighed, cried, and groaned. Yahweh heard, remembered, saw and took notice. A broken people cried out to God in protest of their long affliction. Yahweh responded in power against the gods and kings of Egypt. Mourning is the cry of an injured soul. Mourners remember the affliction of Egypt. They never desire to return. Whereas, the whining of a rebellious people provokes Yahweh to act in judgment; the groans of a broken people provoke Yahweh act in deliverance. Mourners embrace the purpose of God and press on through the wilderness for the Promised Land. Whiners perish in the wilderness. The people of God must be careful that prayerful mourning does not turn into rebellious and faithless whining.
