"Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?"
Psalm 56:8
Tears.
How precious they must be to God.
This same omnipotent God who washes our sins away and remembers them no more in Christ, remembers always our tears. More than that, He keeps them in a bottle. This same God who sees His redeemed as if they had never sinned, keeps our tears as precious to Him.
How precious, and how powerful must our tears be.
Selfless tears.
Sacrificial tears.
Tears of grief,
Of love,
And of sorrow.
Those late night/early morning tears that all mothers know by experience, where we just don't know if we can go on anymore. When we just don't know how much more we can give, how much more we can keep on giving. How much could possibly be left to give? Does it really even matter, anyway?
Society tells us to grow up, shake it off, and get over it. Weeping is seen as a weakness, a detrimental and childish character flaw that needs to be gotten rid of, but what does the Word of God say about weeping?
"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:6
Society tells us to grow up, shake it off, and get over it. Weeping is seen as a weakness, a detrimental and childish character flaw that needs to be gotten rid of, but what does the Word of God say about weeping?
"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Psalm 126:6
Weeping is not only precious to God, seeing as how He keeps them in His bottle, but it is beneficial to the Kingdom of God.
Perhaps those precious seeds that are sown are watered by the weeping of the saints and prayer, leading to the joyous harvest?
Even Jesus wept, openly and unashamedly wept, both in times of gladness and in times of sorrow.
Are we so above the flesh that we should not weep, even as our Lord and Savior did during His incarnation on this earth? Is weeping so shameful that we should hide it, keep it behind closed doors? What danger does this mentality pose for us as Christians?
I just don't have time to weep, after all.
I've got kids to take care of, educate, and feed. I've got a home to tend to and keep, and I have a husband to serve and edify. I just don't have time for weeping.
Sometimes, okay, most times, I find myself holding back my tears.
"Not now," I say. "Now just isn't the time for tears."
I wait until things have built up in me to the point of a breach and then it all comes flooding out, rushing over anyone within a twelve mile radius.
Then, when I come to God, not only must I bring to Him my despair, but now also my sins of lashing out with my emotions, which brings more despair and grief upon me, along with the guilt.
No, I don't have time to weep, but I also don't have time to make up for the scars left by my emotional actions.
Our tears, dear sisters in Christ, are precious to the Lord.
Even my brothers in Christ, your tears are precious to Him too!
We have to make sure that they are righteous though. Don't waste something as precious to the Lord as our tears on something as foolish as selfishness or envy.
Not only are our tears precious to the Lord, but they are powerful when coupled with humble prayer! Look at the Lord's response to king Hezekiah's tears in the Book of Isaiah:
"In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order : for thou shalt die , and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years."
Isaiah 38:1-5
Sometimes, okay, most times, I find myself holding back my tears.
"Not now," I say. "Now just isn't the time for tears."
I wait until things have built up in me to the point of a breach and then it all comes flooding out, rushing over anyone within a twelve mile radius.
Then, when I come to God, not only must I bring to Him my despair, but now also my sins of lashing out with my emotions, which brings more despair and grief upon me, along with the guilt.
No, I don't have time to weep, but I also don't have time to make up for the scars left by my emotional actions.
Our tears, dear sisters in Christ, are precious to the Lord.
Even my brothers in Christ, your tears are precious to Him too!
We have to make sure that they are righteous though. Don't waste something as precious to the Lord as our tears on something as foolish as selfishness or envy.
Not only are our tears precious to the Lord, but they are powerful when coupled with humble prayer! Look at the Lord's response to king Hezekiah's tears in the Book of Isaiah:
"In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came unto him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Set thine house in order : for thou shalt die , and not live. Then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, And said, Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years."
Isaiah 38:1-5
Tears that changed his life, Hezekiah cried. The prayer of his life, he prayed, and the Lord granted him a gracious fifteen years instead of taking his life as the prophet had warned him of.
How powerful were those tears.
How much potential do our tears hold for the glory of the Lord?
What if you had the power to change a life with your tears and with prayer, but you held back out of pride?
What if you had the power to change things... but you squandered that opportunity in vain and fleeting pursuits?
How much potential do our tears hold for the glory of the Lord?
What if you had the power to change a life with your tears and with prayer, but you held back out of pride?
What if you had the power to change things... but you squandered that opportunity in vain and fleeting pursuits?
Make time to weep, make time for prayer, for they are both precious tools given for the glory of God's Kingdom and His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
All for His glory alone.
All for His glory alone.
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