He lost everything.

What took a lifetime to build quickly all turned to dust. The herds of livestock he had tended to, bred, and grown through the years were all dead or stolen. His land was scorched by fire, and all but a few of his servants were dead. The children whom he had raised were all dead as well, when the house he had built collapsed on them. Nothing but he and his wife had been spared, but even his wife felt like a loss as she turned on him and told him to curse his God and die.

The story of Job is a familiar one. Job was a man who lost everything, and yet who still would not curse God, but worshipped Him instead.

How was this possible when he had lost so much and had so much to mourn?

I believe the key is in Matthew 5:4, in which Jesus promises that those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted. Jesus looks tenderly upon us and hurts with us. When we mourn, we can turn to Jesus to receive comfort and to make it through our pain.

In a sin filled world, we will encounter grief, we will mourn over people and other losses. However, we are blessed in the mourning because Jesus draws ever nearer to provide us comfort.