Have you ever felt despair because you’ve prayed long and hard for something and received no answer? At that point you could be said to be “poor in spirit.” You certainly feel your need of God.
And that, Christ Jesus assures us, is a blessed state to be in. The first four beatitudes Jesus proclaims in his Sermon on the Mount refer to a state of spiritual lack or longing, and the happy consequences that follow that active yearning. The Amplified Bible gives us this rendering of the four:
“Blessed [spiritually prosperous, happy, to be admired] are the poor in spirit [those devoid of spiritual arrogance, those who regard themselves as insignificant], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].
