James 1 says consider it joy when we go through struggles. So now I'm curious, can we be joyful and mourn at the same time?
Well.............. Those scriptures you gave, had me think about the same question, and why I am at a pause.
I know I come off as right and sure which puts off some, and I do come off strong, but all someone has to do is point to me the scripture and not explain it in a crazy and unreasonable way when connecting it to other scriptures. It's better to be wrong about something, because you can't learn what you already know and are right about.
Now you did what few do, you pulled out some scriptures that I just have decided in the past they were for the weak and learning. However, going over it again, I need to reformulate with help from God on this.
Let's look at some things........
1) A broken and contrite heart is more precious to the Lord than someone sure and full of themselves.
2) The mourning Jesus spoke of, is not the same as what James is speaking of. There is a place of being new to the Word and mourning because of lack of knowledge which the Lord helps those. This mourning shows the Lord that you are willing to need him, from what I am reading.
3) It's not good to be joyful, when you should be "Mourning" As in not taking it serious. Paul had this issue when He had to judge the man sleeping with his fathers wife. All the rest were not even concerned about him doing this deed and still praying for him with joy as if He was not doing anything wrong. Paul stepped in and turned the man over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh.
Count it all Joy!!!
When the devil comes to pound us, we are told to count it all joy through tribulation. This would be a different perspective I "Think" than someone going through tribulation who did not know the Lord.
Also, I have to ask if Tribulation causes mourning? Mourning denotes more of a loss of something.
Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
(Luk 6:25)
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
(Jas 4:9-10)
This passage here as in what Jesus said about mourning is having the lack of mourning indicates a lack of being humble before the Lord.
Mourning and humbling ourselves before the Lord, then "HE" lifts us up back to joy and laughing again.
Mourning really seems to be tied to being aware of your standing with God. Someone that is not serving God but going to church and acting as if all is OK, should instead be morning and seeing their wrong state, being afflicted inside, wanting to be right with God.
I should not be glad I bagged five good looking chic's in one day. Saying, yea Lord, you really blessed me today, woot!!! woot!! Instead I should be sorrowful that I did such an thing and repenting.
Joy and tribulation:
Tribulation tries our patience, faith and brings patience and experience, which produces hope that is unshakeable.
Looking back at David. The bear and the lion came to eat him and his sheep. David kicked their butt with the Lord's help. Now a few years later here comes Goliath and David through that experience says that God gave him the bear and the lion, what chance does someone have who does not even have a covenant with God and just a man at that?
Where everyone else was scared of Goliath, David's experience told him that it was nothing but a thing.
Still looking over all this........... It has to be right, and we have to define mourning the way God intended. If we are suppose to mourn all day, then bless God I am ditching the joy, if it's something else then we have to know that.
You can have tribulation but it not effect you like David who was confident because of his experience of past tribulation by which he gained experience and hope that Goliath was doomed.