Daily Devotional, Sept 16, 2023 No tears wasted
"For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." Psalm 30:5
As a kid, I was always amazed at wheel fountains that do not seem to waste any drop of water that flows through them. I wonder how come the water supply seems endless, and why the reservoir never gets too filled up, and how everything just cycles through.
Like wheel fountains where every drop of water gets used and reused to show an amazing display of water flow, so does the Lord use every drop of tear we shed as we go through painful seasons and moments in our lives. Whether these painful seasons are consequences of our bad choices, or we are suffering because of other people, we can rest assured that this will help us in our journey toward His heart. In the Book of Lamentations, it says “For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.” (Lamentations 3:31-33)
He knows every tear we shed, and he uses it for a greater purpose that could shape us into the person he wants us to become. In Psalm 56:8 David asked the Lord in despair “You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?”
And yes, it is in the Lord’s book, because He knows everything that happens and will happen in this world. Lamentations 3:37-38 declares “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and good things come?”
Whenever we cry, we must take heart that the Lord hears it. He acts on it in the way He deems fit, and in His own good time. Sometimes He answers our plea right away, sometimes He makes us wait. Sometimes He gives a flat no. But whatever His answer is, we are sure that it is for our own good. To quote Apostle Paul in his Letter to the Corinthians: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
It may help to look at our tears as water that cleanses our hearts, and purifies our minds so that we could reach our spiritual goals and reflect the glory of God to others.
We should also remember that the Lord is no stranger to weeping. Even before He suffered so much in the Cross, there were times He cried out of desperation (Hebrews 5:7) and in sadness and grief when His friend Lazarus died (John 11:35). With this we should be confident that He knows how it feels to be in despair, and that He is always ready to help and respond to us.
Let us allow the Lord’s promise to comfort us, as we press on towards the road of righteousness towards eternal life in Christ Jesus: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 5:9)
Thank you for reading through our devotional today. I invite you to ponder on Psalm 145 and Lamentations 3 to dig deeper on today’s topic.
Reflection Question: When was the last time you wept so much before the Lord? Did you feel relieved after crying out to Him?
Conversation with the Lord: Heavenly Father, give me the confidence to totally surrender to you all my heartaches and pains. I know you hear my cries, and put my tears to good use. Allow these tears to purify my soul. I want to be closer to you my Lord, so may my moments of tears bring me near you as I strive to walk with you towards eternity. Amen.