Friday, May 17: “Seasons of Suffering VI”

Matthew 9: 15: “Jesus said to them, ‘The attendants of the bridegroom cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

Not only is mourning an inevitable part of our life on earth, it is actually something Jesus intentionally did, and commands us to do (James 4: 9). This type of mourning exists in conjunction with fasting, and is not the self-centered, self-induced, ill-disguised form of self pity that we often see. It is a response to the Holy Spirit opening our eyes to something in the world or in our lives that causes God to grieve. This spurs fasting, mourning (also known as godly sorrow, 2 Corinthians 7: 10), and prayer–and eventually, change. Then our mourning is turned into dancing, when we realize that the bridegroom, the Spirit of Christ, is now and ever with us!