Shedding our Tears
View daily reading plan: Acts 20.31; Rev 21.4
The New Testament opens with Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted. It ends with all tears wiped away by the loving hand of God. Throughout, there are many tears due to different circumstances which believers today also experience in their personal, family, and assembly lives.
In Acts 20 we learn of the tears of the beloved apostle as he warns the elders from Ephesus about difficulties and dangers ahead in their service in the assembly. Elders themselves will be no strangers to tears while they try to unravel difficult situations and preserve the flock of God. Dry eyes and stiff upper lips are not appropriate for shepherds.
In John 11.35 we read, “Jesus wept.” His tender heart felt the sorrow of those He loved. We are assured that He is the same today, for He is not one who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmity. He sees and knows our tears and what causes them. In fact, He has a bottle for our tears (Ps 56.8) as well as a book for our names (Phil 4.3) and golden bowls for our prayers (Rev 5.8).
Our names will never be erased from the book, our prayers will be remembered in heaven, but on one glad day to come, all our tears will be banished forever.
Monday, 22 April, 2024