GRIEVE, MOURN, WAIL
God is sitting on his throne, thinking, “who shall I send to earth to herald the greatest event that will ever take place on earth-the arrival and ministry of His Son, Jesus?” Finally, He settles on an unlikely candidate- unpleasant, who wants nothing to do with the world, lives like a madman in the desert, eating honey and locusts, and greets the most respected people of his time, the Pharisees with, ‘you brood of vipers!’ John the Baptist has a singular message, ‘Repent! Have nothing to do with this world.’
Life on earth is a materialistic pursuit- of money, power, and comfort. Man is tuned from his early days to desire these and to shed discomfort. Success is measured by how far we get ahead in accomplishing these. We are not tuned to grieve, mourn or wail, yet that is a message we are asked to consider in James.
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God……..“God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble.”…….Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James4:4-10)
Embracing Discomfort: Becoming comfortable with life is what friendship with the world looks like. This universal, selfish way of looking at life was rejected by John and Jesus. Embracing discomfort means to move out of our comfort zones in obedience to God, associating with people and with circumstances we dislike and directing our lives in a manner that would honor God, rather than please ourselves.
Internalizing Repentance: At the heart of ‘grieve, mourn and wail’ is an attitude of repentance. We have fallen short of God’s requirement for us. Recognizing our sinful natures that tend to direct us in an adverse pathway, rejecting it and making a repentant life central to our lives here on earth is the way of the cross.
Actualizing Hope: The above becomes a reality when we actualize hope- not just a vague expectation of what could come beyond death, but a confirmation of the reality of eternal life, made possible by living for eternity, rather than for the visible world around us. And that is what ‘grieve, mourn, wail’ looks like.
