But I wanted to share with you a bit this morning about a good cry - yes, tears.. I was actually thinking about the subject this morning when God placed a certain verse of scripture that I had guarded to my heart years ago. The verse is "weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning." Psalm 30:5(b)
Have you ever been so upset about something that you have labored and lamented in tears all through the night? I've been upset before, but I've never done that. In fact, as I approach the sixteen year anniversary of my mother's death on Feb. 19th, I am reminded of how I learned of her death. My brother phoned in the middle of the night and I softly and quietly went back to sleep. The news had come as a relief to me, I suppose.
Yes, the Bible has a good bit to say about tears. The word "tears" itself is mentioned 36 times in the Bible, while words like "weeping" are mentioned so many, many more times. Perhaps one of the most well known - and certainly the shortest - verse having to do with the subject matter is "Jesus wept."
One could say that the Apostle Paul was a real crier; from his writings, he appeared to have moments of deep emotion and expressed his feelings of love toward the recipients of his letters with overwhelming sentiments. The expressions of love that he made to various churches through various letters are simply - - - - well - I don't know what. They are too love filled to describe. Paul's words in Acts 20:19 read thusly:
- "Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publickly, and have from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also toward to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."
Paul, in his letter to the Romans, in the twelfth chapter, also calls us to "weep with them that weep."
There's simply no doubt about it: tears and crying are an indelible part of this life we live. As children, we cry when we fall down or when we don't get the toy we want at Wal-Mart, or when we fear something. As adolescents, we cry when we are bullied or when we encounter pain in relationships or our parents go through divorce or we experience the death of a grandparent or another loved one - and many, many other times throughout our lives. Some of us cry often - some of us cry less.
The Bible contains a wonderful story in Luke's gospel chapter 8 vv 37-50
37And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
38And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
39Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
40And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
41There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.
42And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?
43Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
44And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
45Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.
46My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
47Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
48And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
49And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
50And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
But Jesus knew what no one else in that room knew. The Bible says, in the book of I Samuel, that while man looks at outward appearances, God looks upon the heart. Jesus looked upon her heart that day and saw that she believed upon him and saw that she had repented that day. Result: "And he said to the woman, 'Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace'." What a lovely picture of sincere repentance by a sinner and forgiveness given by our heavenly father.
The former things are passed away. What a thought. The former things are passed away. God has a new way of doing business in the world to come.
God bless you today.
2 comments:
Sorry that I'm a bit tardy in replying as you alerted me to your blog by email and it took a while to get here. But as I read what you were led to write, Isaiah 26: 3 bubbled up in my consciousness. You may know it, the Prophet writing, "You will keep him (the believer) in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you." That's the NKJV; but the messsage version renders it ... "People with their minds set on You, You keep completely whole, steady on their feet, because they keep at it and don't quit."
I know you have some low time, my dear friend; but you are one, to whom the Prophet was referring who have a mind/heart "stayed on" God; and from that pursuit, I believe God is going to give you the peace He described through Paul in Phil. 4: 6-7; and so we all need to keep on keeping on in our pursuit of God's peace, through prayer and a diligent pursuit of our Lord through His word. ...
<'KOKO>< ... Bill
Thank you for sharing this, Rudy. So very meaningful.
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