The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
As a Christian, the greatest blessings and riches we should seek pertain to richness in the Kingdom of Heaven. Striving in these things can be challenging, even painful and sorrowful. There are many scriptures and accounts within history pertaining to Christian suffering. However, when it comes to the nature of the blessings we seek, once attained, there is no sorrow with it.
Maybe that’s the best way to look at this. I’m grappling with the idea because there are times when sorrow is a kind of blessing. Sorrow that leads to repentance is a blessing, for example. Jesus also tells us that “blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.” The comfort is blessing, and there is no sorrow with it. The fruits wrought through sincere repentance are blessing, and there is no sorrow with them.
As a person who is prone to sorrow, but has also experienced joy in the Lord, this proverb is interesting to me.
At times, I feel like it is blessing to be able to sorrow over sin—both my sin and the sins of the world. Many are hardened and they cannot sorrow. Yet, too much sorrow is destructive. When I find that I am wondering into ungodly sorrow, I try to repent and turn to Jesus so that I can find that comfort He offers.
I am probably immature in the faith concerning sorrow. I don’t know. Maybe I should never sorrow. Maybe trust in God should always override sorrow. Maybe, as I grow in the righteousness I seek through faith in the grace of God promised by the seed of the Kingdom I was given by the Holy Spirit, I will not sorrow anymore.
I do know that when my mind is fully set on Jesus, there is no sorrow. Even during times of pain and hopelessness, I feel assurance. I can find some meaning behind the sorrow and suffering, and I can hope in the good things to come. I can think about all the wonderful things Jesus has done and will do. I can ponder the wonders of His Kingdom to come, and I can hope to see more of that Kingdom in my heart. I can hope for good results in my life and for those around me as He works. I can trust that He has a plan, and wherever I go He is there already.
Jesus says:
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
The way we look at things matter. If our perceptions are evil, then everything we do will follow. For example, if we see the worst in someone or in a life scenario, then our actions will proceed in a direction that is destructive towards self and others.
To make matters worse, we might think our perceptions are true and the harmful things we do are valid. There is so much of this in the world. I am certain I also have evil perceptions that need to be enlightened.
If we focus on Jesus above all else, then our perception of many things will change. As we learn and seek to have a change of nature that conforms to our changed perceptions, we find freedom from the destructive forces of this world. We find joy—and as it promised of the Kingdom of Heaven—there is no more sorrow. How wonderful!
The light of Jesus Christ can guide all that we do, and though we might fall many times because of our faulty nature, we can trust in the mercy of God towards us. We can get up, refocus, and try another day.
I don’t know how much of the Kingdom of Heaven we can attain in this present world, but I do know that any measure of blessing we gain is worth a lifetime of seeking, and it is true that there is no sorrow with it!
Do you have thoughts on this proverb? Please feel free to start a discussion below.
Jesus Alone 
Amanda, your musing over sorrow made me think of Isaiah 53:3 –
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
He has empathy for our grief, and is fully acquainted with it, for sure. But he knows also what it is to struggle with it:
For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. – Hebrews 4:15
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Good reminders. Thank you!
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