God Understands the Language of Tears
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”
Have you ever been so overwhelmed by emotion that all you could do was cry? Well, I certainly have. I can recall moments throughout my life where I was so overwhelmed with sorrow or joy that the only way I could accurately express what I was experiencing was through tears. Recently, I have found myself in that very space. A place where my words don’t quite measure up to what I am feeling, whether good or bad.
I have found solace in this simple truth, God understands the language of tears.
There was a woman in the Bible named Hannah, who, despite years of prayer did not have a child of her own. To make matters worse, her husband shared multiple children with his second wife; who’d made it her life’s mission to taunt Hannah. One day while in the temple, Hannah wept so intensely that the priest mistook her for a drunkard. The Bible states that her grief was so great that she could only muster the strength to mouth her words without sound. Imagine the sight. Imagine her silent pleas.
When approached by the priest she clarified that she was not drunk, but in a great deal of sorrow. Without further inquiry the priest, Eli, blessed Hannah and encouraged her to dry her tears, He asked God to grant her heart’s desire and a year later Hannah gave birth to a son, Samuel.
This is a beautiful story of redemption and the faithfulness of God. However, I urge you to pay attention to the miracle depicted here. When she no longer had the strength to verbalize the anguish in her heart, Hannah’s tears translated to a language that God understood. (Hannah’s full story is found in 1 Samuel 1:1 -28)
One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible depicts a beautiful promise that has shaped much of my Christian walk, Psalms 126:5-6.
Not only does God understand the language of our tears, but He uses them to water the soil of our lives.
Friend, in a world that associates crying with weakness, how comforting is it to know that God understands the language of our tears? Today, I encourage you to lean into whatever it is that you are feeling. There is no emotion too great, or too powerful for you to share with God. Whether in joy or pain, gladness, or sorrow, God will sit with you and bottle every single tear. Very soon your garden will bloom.
Prayer of Salvation
"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
- Romans 10:9 NIV
None of us are perfect and sometimes we lose our way. Thankfully, God is gentle, merciful, faithful, and always willing to forgive us if we repent. Perhaps you are in a season where are you are experiencing distance from God. Maybe you’ve returned to your former ways of being. Or maybe you’ve never known him at all.
Today, God is asking you to return to Him and promising that he will accept you wholeheartedly. If you fit into this category, then I invite you to pray the prayer of salvation below. It is a verbal compassion that you believe Jesus is the son of God and you are asking him to wash away your sins and accept you into his kingdom, it is the acknowledgment that from this moment that you desire God to lead your life. Simply believe in your heart as you read this prayer aloud.
Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that I am a sinner, and I need a savior. I’m asking You to forgive me of my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He lived, died, and was resurrected to life. I believe that You are the only God and the only way to eternal life. Today, I’m asking You to enter my heart, change my life and lead me by the power of Your Holy Spirit, from this day forward. I need you in Jesus name. Amen.
If you’ve pray this prayer for the very first time, welcome to the kingdom of heaven! The Bible says that the angels rejoice every time someone gives their heart to God. So just imagine the party in heaven, taking place on your behalf!
