Does God Keep Our Tears in a Bottle?

It was a tearful day.  I had cried when a moving song came on the radio.  It was about the plight we feel as Christians living as strangers in the World; that feeling of not belonging and longing for a place we can call home.  I had cried at the news of the death of my cousin, Jackie; thinking of his family and feeling the loss that they are  feeling, crying out to God for comfort and mercy.  I had cried because everything I know and love is changing and I have to figure out who I am supposed to be.

All day long I had felt the weight of sadness and despair; like a dark cloud that blocked my ability to see anything good or positive.  So, after work, God and I took a walk and the pent-up frustration that I had felt all day was released in a torrent of tears as I poured out my heart to him.  The tears welled up and ran down my cheeks and all my longing was fulfilled, and all my sorrow was washed away, and all my fears and disappointments disappeared in the love that flowed from God's heart to mine.

My tears brought an immediate release of the stress and frustration that I felt, but I wondered, "Do my tears have an eternal purpose?" 

In Psalm 56:8 we read, "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle.  Are they not in your book?"

Imagine that!  God keeps a record of my tears.  He hears my cries, sees my tears, and remembers them.  I am uncertain about whether he keeps them in a bottle or not, but perhaps he does.  At any rate, he knows every tear that I have cried.  And that, my friend, makes me feel better.  My tears are not wasted.  They are important to God

God Speaks Through Trials

Trials!  Ugh....don't you just hate that word!  Nobody in their right mind wants to have trials.  Our trials slow us down, cause us pain and sadness, and frustrate us to no end.  No one is immune either; they are common to us all.  Trials are the stuff-of-life; our path is laden on every side with setbacks and struggles and suffering. 

For years, I have not wanted to admit that suffering is part of the Christian experience.  I would skip over the Bible verses about trials, sweep them under the rug, so to speak.  I believed that my faith in Christ would somehow shield me from suffering, and there is some truth to this idea, because Jesus suffered for us, taking our place when he died on the cross for our sins.  So, there is great comfort in the fact that Christ has paid the just penalty for my sins and I am no longer charged as guilty of those  sins.

A good place to go to find out more about the topic of suffering is the Bible, of course.  One major theme of the book of 1Peter is the willingness of Christians to suffer for Christ's sake.  So, it is there that we will look to find some answers to the problem of suffering.  Here we find that Christ suffered for our sake, to bring us to God (1Peter 3:18).  We learn that Christ's suffering was an example for us to follow (1Peter 2:21) and the trial of our faith is more precious than gold (1Peter1:7).

We can be certain then, that we will have trials.  Experience has proven that I was not exempt from suffering even though my life was hidden in Christ.  Like everyone else, I have had my share of trials and problems to deal with.  These trials and problems were the very "things" that have shaped my life.   "Things" I encountered, like financial woes caused by debt and over-spending, "things" like difficulty in relationships caused by divorce and estrangement and unforgivness, and "things" like the heartbreak of caring for a child with a disability.

Suffering is inevitable because we live in a fallen world.  When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they died as a result of that one act and today we still live under the curse of that one act.  We are born in sin and unless we accept God's salvation through Christ, we will die in sin and be eternally separated from God.

Let's look again at 1Peter 4:12-19; here we find some answers as to why we suffer and how we are to respond to trials whenever they come our way.  We are instructed in verse 12 to think it not strange; to understand that it is normal, something to be expected.  We will encounter persecution and opposition because we have an enemy of our souls and we are engaged in a war between the forces of good and evil.  Our response to suffering, we see in verse 13, is to rejoice because  Christ is glorified in us when we suffer.  This is a reminder to us that even though we live in this world; this world is not our home.  We are to live for the world to come.  We are to invest in the kingdom of heaven.  And we are to lay down our lives for the sake of others.     Finally, in verse 19 we see that our response to trials is to commit the keeping of our souls to him in well-doing.  This is where our faith takes over; we believe that God is in control, that he knows where we are and what we are going through, and he will bring us through it.


Most everyone who has suffered will admit that now, looking back on that time, they can see that God was at work in their life.  God speaks to us through trials; it is at these difficult times that God has our full attention.  We are brought to the end of ourself and we realize that we need his help.  We grow stronger in our faith as we endure,and in time, like gold that is tried by fire, we too are purified and strengthened by the fire of suffering.  The key is to endure; to remain true to Christ, to keep-on, keeping-on.  God is speaking through trials.....but, are we listening?

He will even use a headache

God says in his Word that we are to rejoice in trials.  In James 1:2 we read, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."  Well, I have a headache this morning so I will give thanks to God for this trial.  To do so is not foolish; James goes on to say in verses 3 and 4, "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."  So, I will give thanks and be joyful, for because of this headache, I must rest quietly in bed, making this an excellent time to pray and meditate on God's Word.  If I had not had a headache, I would be busy with my daily activities, getting ready for work, doing the laundry, etc.  But instead, I have the privilege of spending time with the one who loves me more than I can imagine.  How blessed I am.  He will use something as simple as a headache to say I love you.  He desires to spend time with me and he will interrupt my day, causing me stop and consider and listen to him.  He knows what I need, and what I need is a fresh touch of his presence.
 

During his final hours on earth, Jesus prayed for his disciples and for those who would believe in him because of their message, "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you,  May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me," John 17:21.  Jesus wanted us to be one with him and one with the Father.  How wonderfully, marvelous, that God, the Almighty, the source of all life, would want to be associated with me.  He wants to know me; to be joined or connected with me.  Look again at Jesus prayer.  Why did Jesus pray for us to be one with him and with the Father?  "That the world may believe that you have sent me."  God's plans and purposes are so far-reaching.  My headache is not only a  blessing for me in my personal relationship with Christ, but, it has eternal consequences.  God desires to reach others besides myself; he wants the world to know who Jesus is.  Jesus, the only begotten son of God, who lived a perfect life and died in my place to pay for my sins, and not only mine, but, the sins of the whole world.  That's not all though, he rose again and lives  forever with the Father in heaven and one day he's coming again to receive those who are his. 


Therefore, I will consider it pure joy that I awoke with a headache.  For, because of it, I have enjoyed sweet fellowship with my God, who everyday loads me with benefits.  My faith has been tried and it is producing patience in me,  and patience will have its perfect work of making me mature and complete, not lacking anything.