In front of me, less that 10 feet away, was a kingfisher on a branch. I sat absolutely still, and he let me watch him fish and eat twice before he flew away. The anger dissipated like early morning mist in the heat of the sun.
And I can’t tell you how or why, but the impact of that brought tears, brought memories and brought deep deep comfort. In His own unique way, the Holy Spirit used the natural world. The fact that heavenly Father cared enough to ‘give me that very special moment’ was comfort in itself.
So Yes! Jesus did say ‘blessed are those who mourn’ and that is a rock-solid promise.
However, those words are not a silver bullet, they are not a magic pill.
Even with these words from Jesus Himself, we are careful. Not everyone who grieves can enter into the promise at every moment. It’s also possible for this verse to become an unhelpful pressure placed on us by others. But equally this promise is real, tangibly within reach and it can do us good.
And it’s true, the Holy Spirit’s comfort is found in many places including scripture. It ebbs and flows in all kinds of ways and sometimes is brought to us in the guise of the natural world. He knows you and me best. He more than anyone knows that each heart knows its own grief, and He knows best how to bring comfort to your grief and mine.
For more moving stories of the comfort of Jesus for those who mourn visit www.davidoliverbooks.com