July 15: Matthew 5:4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Pilgrims as they make their way up to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple of the LORD will come through the Valley of Weeping (Valley of Baca). They are reminded of the wages of sin is death and journey each year for the atonement of their sins.
Jesus said there is a blessing for those who morn because of sin. Charles Spurgeon writes, ‘Mourning of sin – our own sin and the sin of others is the Lord’s seal set upon His faithful ones’. When we receive the Spirit of Grace and Supplication, there is the weeping and gnashing of teeth because of the recognition of sin. Sin separates us from God but God loves the sinner. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and yet comforts those hearts that mourn for sin through the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 118: 17-18 I will not die but live and proclaim the works of the Lord. The LORD has chastened me severely but He has not given me over to death.
