Strength of Tears

Tears are considered as a sign of weakness by some people. But I would like to quote some examples from the Scriptures to prove that there is strength in tears.

Tears are part of life

Long ago a wise man said like this: a time to weep and a time to laugh, there is a time for everything…a time to mourn and a time to dance (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4). The Psalmist said, “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Strong men and women cried. The primary example is Jesus, when he came as a human being on this earth. Few of the occasions when Jesus cried, are: while Lazarus died and when Jesus was burdened for the city of Jerusalem (John 11:35, Luke 19:41). Regarding his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, the author of the book of Hebrews says, “During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission”  (Hebrews 5:7). Tears were a part of the life of Jesus. It is the same with us.

Tears for personal reason

While Jesus’ tears are for selfless reasons, we have evidences of  women and men  who cried for personal reasons and God seeing their tears, and answering them. Luke makes a mention of a sinner woman. She stood behind Jesus at his feet weeping. She began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. While the men around her got furious, we see Jesus accepting her tears as a sign of hospitality and love. And for sure it was a sign of repentance. Jesus forgave her sins (Luke 7:36-50). The experience of the sinner woman is a must experience for all of us, men and women, to shed tears for our misdeeds not only on that ‘one’ particular day of salvation, but we are called to keep working our salvation with fear and trembling on a regular basis ( Philippians 2;12).

In the case of Hannah, a very personal situation in her life triggered her to cry. But the good thing about her is that she shifted her focus on God and went to the temple and cried and made a vow out of that for a public cause. The result: prophet Samuel was born who brought a spiritual revival to the nation of Israel (I Samuel 1). Prophet Hosea makes a mention of a man named Jacob who cried. Hosea says that Jacob struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favour (Hosea 12:4). The incident is narrated in Genesis 32 where we find him earning God’s blessings. He was guilty of earning blessing from his dad, Isaac earlier through a tricky way. Now he repents and earns it in a manner fitting in God’s sight (vs. 24-29).

Tears for public reason

This is a must for all. Nehemiah was broken for reasons that broke God’s heart as well. Time and again God poured out his anguish through his prophets regarding the sinful life of the Israelites and the impending punishment. And finally the judgement came. When the walls of Jerusalem were broken and burnt by enemies, Nehemiah wept and prayed (Nehemiah 1: 4).  Jeremiah, a prophet who lived during the exilic period,was called as a weeping prophet. His book of lament is what we read as Lamentations in the Bible. Does not what he saw in the exilic situation, the same, in many countries of the world today? Have a look on Jeremiah’s lamenting context:  My eyes fail from weeping, I am in torment within, my heart is poured out on the ground because my people are destroyed, because children and infants faint in the streets of the city.  They say to their mothers, "Where is bread and wine?" as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers' arms.  (Lamentations 2:11-12) A heart of compassion in us only can cause good things to happen to needy people. The following verse can be our prayer: Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people (Jeremiah 9:1).

Tears are noticed by God

The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry (Psalm 34:15). God saw the tears of Hagar and responded to her need (Genesis 21:17). King Hezekiah wept bitterly when he was dying of a disease. He was healed (2 Kings 20). We as God’s children, when we walk through the valley of weeping, I am sure, it will become a place of refreshing springs, where pools of blessing collect after the rains! (Psalm 84:6) All who are worn out from sobbing, who drench their beds every night, wet their pillows from weeping like how David did (Psalm 6:6), let us get encouraged that God keeps track of all our sorrows. He has collected all our tears in his bottle. He has recorded each one in his book (Psalm 56:8). He will answer, in His time.

No tears in eternal life

Tears are a result of pain. And so the good news is: there are no tears in eternal life! God will remove all of our sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. The Bible says: for the old world and its evils are gone forever (Rev 21:4). On the other side, there will be tears and gnashing of teeth in eternal hell (Luke 13:28). All who truly repents for their sins and accepts Jesus as their Lord are led to a place of no tears!There is strength in tears to earn showers of blessings here on this earth and in the new heaven and new earth that we are going to inherit.

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy! (Psalm 126:5)