156. Mourning Ended
Isaiah 60:20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
With the promise of the Lord being for us the everlasting light and no longer the sun or moon going down, there is the promise that the days of your mourning will be ended. All mourning and sadness will end for sure when the Lord returns at the end of the age and we are ushered into the eternal state of the new heavens and new earth.
We mourn because of sin and death. Death and separation is a result of sin. Sin is the cause of all sadness and misery. But the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world. Our sin is gone, and therefore by faith in Christ and continual turning to Jesus our mourning is ended. Our mourning is caused by sin and guilt and loss of God and loss of life. But Jesus has come to take away the sin and bring forgiveness, mercy and life. Mourning has ended.
But we still live with sin, and mourning and sadness goes on and on. In the midst of mourning the Lord brings peace and joy, comfort and hope. Returning to the Lord in repentance and faith replaces mourning with comfort and joy. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” So says Jesus. This is Good News for the mourners (all of us). Comfort comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the working of faith by the Holy Spirit. When we receive Jesus by faith mourning is ended, comfort has come.
Of course, sin remains and mourning goes on side by side with peace, joy, comfort and life. Which will we listen to? Which will we believe? The mourning of sin and death seek to attract our attention and distract us from the Good News; but the Gospel is stronger if it gets a hearing in the heart. With the Word and Promise of the Lord we pay attention to the Gospel and ignore the clamor of the devil, the world and our own flesh. Light pushes back the darkness. Truth overcomes the lies every time. The truth: Mourning has ended.