God’s gift . . .

Falling Tears  

I dread shedding tears—I am an ugly crier . . . most of us dread shedding tears, particularly in front of other people . . . There are a lot of reasons why we hold back . . . We don’t want to feel or seem weak or vulnerable . . . We’re afraid of rejection . . . We fear losing control, perhaps we’re even afraid that if we start sobbing, we will never stop . . . The shedding of tears is natural to little children—so what has happened to us as we get older? . . . But tears can be a precious gift from God. 

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.”
Psalm 56:8 

God knows our suffering and tears . . . He sees how we suffer . . . No tear that you have ever cried has gone unnoticed by our heavenly Father.  

John 11:35 says very concisely that “Jesus wept” . . . He has experienced our suffering and has shed tears with those He loves . . . He has suffered with us.  

Revelation 21:4 finishes the story . . . “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.” . . . Tears will not last forever . . . There will come a day when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes and remove every cause of sorrow and grief . . . God is not calloused nor indifferent to our current distress, and He is right there with us in the suffering.  

For centuries, believers have called this world a “valley of tears.” . . . Christ has come, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again . . . But we still mourn and ache and weep . . . and we walk with those who mourn and ache and weep . . . We tread wearily through the valley with hearts heavy laden, grieving for any one of a thousand reasons. 

The God of all comfort keeps watch over your weeping.
(Scott Hubbard) 

Yet no matter how much of your distress, torment, frustration, or grief has gone unnoticed by others, not one moment has escaped the attention of the God . . . God sees and feels every moan, groan and deep sigh of sadness, discomfort, and pain. 

“I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears”
2 Kings 20:5 

God’s fatherly compassion causes Him to draw near to the brokenhearted and bind up our wounds . . . and just because Jesus loves us and knows how to fix our problems doesn’t mean He will blow off our grief . . . He will take time to linger with us in our sorrow . . . He will meet us in our valley of tears and walk beside us . . . Every tear you shed in faith is enfolded in this promise—

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed”
Psalm 34:18

INSIGHT . . .

“Jesus wept.”
John 11:35 

“Jesus wept” is often noted as the shortest verse in scripture  . . . Sometimes all we can do is weep, and in the depths of our weeping, we know Jesus has walked this road before us and is with us now. 

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping,
he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 
‘Where have you laid him [Jesus’s friend Lazarus]?’ he asked.
‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied.
Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’”
(John 11:33-36) 

Jesus loved Lazarus . . . But that isn’t what the passage is pointing out . . . It says that when Jesus saw Mary and the others crying, He was upset and was deeply troubled . . . It wasn’t the death of His friend that pained Jesus . . . it was the tears on Mary’s face that brought tears to Christ’s eyes . . . Jesus saw the sorrow and grief, and He was overwhelmed with emotion . . . Jesus understood and felt their pain . . . His tears flowed with sympathy at the agony and hurt the others were feeling.  

The Greek word for Jesus’s tears refers to a quiet kind of cry . . . Jesus was not weeping out of obligation or because it was expected . . . Jesus was quietly crying because He felt . . . He was human . . . He was God and He was human and He felt . . . Jesus wept . . . Not out of regret or guilt or shame . . . Jesus wept because of love. 

All of us have been touched by grief or loss—loss of a family member, a friend, a pet, a job, a house . . . loss of independence, passions, dreams, mobility, time . . .  When we are in pain, when we struggle, and when we weep with the losses, heartache, and sorrows in our lives, Jesus weeps with us, . . .  His heart is moved to tears when we cry . . . He sits right down beside us, puts His arm around us and weeps with us. 

When we face life’s challenges, when we struggle with our own decisions, and when our faith is tested . . .  that is when we lift up our tear-stained faces toward heaven and say, “Father,” and know, without doubt, God bends His ear to listen. 

INVITATION—TO TALK WITH GOD . . . 

Pause and think for a moment . . .
                     Do you want to have a better understanding of “you”? . . . Why, or why not? 

Could self-realization be important in finding peace, calm, and assurance in your life? 

Realization is an act of becoming fully aware of something as a fact, as the truth, as reality . . . It is an awakening that involves understanding, recognition, comprehension, insight, awareness, discernment, and even apprehension of grasping the truth . . . as we spend extended time in prayer during the Lenten season, this may be the time God is calling you to take a good look at your heart and soul . . . to better understand yourself, especially through His eyes. 

“The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.  
But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness”
Matthew 6:22-23a 

Distractions, including negativity, come in all shapes, sizes, small, large, prominent, or hiding in the shadows . . . There will always be something to distract you if you allow it . . . Sometimes improving your “focus” may be deciding what you are not going to do, or what you are not going to let interfere with living. 

Ask God to show you, “What is the biggest distractor in my life?” 

God will bring an image to your mind . . . it may not be what you want or what you thought was “bothering” you, but remember, God knows you better than you know yourself. 

Is hurt or anger holding you back from making forward progress?
         Or . . . are you stuck?
                Are you holding onto someone else’s grudges or distractions,
                                                                                     so it makes it impossible to move on?  

“Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes”
Psalm 13:3a 

I challenge you to write down the “negativity” that is disturbing your peace, distracting you from calm . . . put it on paper and get it out of your head . . . set it aside, tear it up, throw it away . . . you may have to do this over and over . . . but that’s ok . . . Give it to God . . . just give it to God and let Him help. 

“Don’t you realize that you become the slave of
whatever you choose to obey?”
Romans 6:16 

Remember it is vitally important to be honest with yourself, and honest with God . . . Only then can you move toward the peace and serenity you seek. 

Take some time and talk with God about who you are, who you want to be . . . always remembering “whose” you are—you are a child of God.

ILLUMINATION . . .

Imagine looking at yourself in a mirror . . . really look beyond the surface, into your eyes, and deeper into your heart . . . Be candid with yourself. 

What is your focus right now?

      Are you hiding behind a wall of “I’m too busy”?

             What is leading, or taking over, your life?  

There is an older Michael Jackson song called “Man in the Mirror” . . . the chorus advises— 

I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could've been any clearer
If they wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make a change

Take an honest look at yourself and your life in the mirror . . . God will help.

Tears come in many forms . . . sorrow, pain, betrayal, frustration, happiness, joy, laughter, hard work . . . Not only for yourself, but for others too . . . Sometimes you cry with others, and sometimes you cry alone—but God sees every drop of saltiness that falls from your eyes.

Take a moment, breathe deeply in, then exhale slowly . . . Pause and think . . .
                 What is bringing you to tears right now as you honestly look at yourself?

Take another deep breath and exhale slowly . . .
                 What do you need to cry about that you are hiding—
                                                 maybe from yourself, maybe from others?

Ask God to help you cry . . . To shed tears so that you can heal and move forward in life . . .      
                              Let Him help you . . . God’s shoulder is always there to cry upon.

Everyone has hurt in their lives—anger, sorrow, chaos, or pain—maybe a struggle that seems to have no relief or end in sight . . . You may never be aware of others’ hurts . . . they may never be aware of yours, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist . . . It doesn’t matter how big or small, it is still a thorn in your side, it still distracts you from a positive foundation, and a productive focus.

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.
Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows.
But take heart because I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

If you focus only on the hurt, you will continue to suffer . . . if you focus on the lessons and love that God provides, you will continue to grow . . . Yes, you can grow and move forward through chaos, pain, suffering, and hurt.

Take a look at yourself in the mirror often, then prayerfully ask God to help you see “you” through His eyes, and to help you take the first . . . second . . . third steps forward toward peace, calm, and acceptance that He loves you just as you are.

INSPIRATION—PRAYING THROUGH MUSIC . . . 

It really matters what you listen to . . .
Select music that will strengthen your spirit.
(Russell M. Nelson) 

I encourage you to take time to listen to any or all the songs below . . . there is no right or wrong style of music—it is what speaks to you . . . listen to the melody and the lyrics and feel the response of your heart to what God wants you to hear . . . and I do understand that music doesn’t speak to everyone . . . and that is okay too.

♪♬♪ Current . . .  God Only Knows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmJUp45fLa0&list=RDmmJUp45fLa0&start_radio=1

♪♬♪ Traditional . . . Spirit Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWEDBaFy0SI&list=RDKWEDBaFy0SI&start_radio=1

INTO EACH DAY AHEAD . . .

Our tears offer the chance to allow us to be truly humble and recognize our need for a Savior . . . Through our tears, we realize that we can’t save ourselves alone . . . Like a child in the presence of his or her parents, we are crying out in our need . . . Tears can thaw our frozen hearts and allow us to feel again . . . They lead us out of our numbness and free us to be vulnerable and dependent on our Comforter, Helper, and Savior.  

Sometimes we don’t know the “Why?” of a situation . . . we may never know, but God knows and He is there, so let Him help you.

Sometimes God lets you be in a situation that only He can fix
so that you can see that He is the One who fixes it. Rest. He's got it.”
(Tony Evans) 

As you move into the next moment, the next day, and beyond . . .   think about a light bulb with a chain . . . Pull it, turn the light on, move out of the darkness and see yourself and the world in a new light . . . or you could choose to stay in the darkness . . . What do you want to do?

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”
Romans 12:11-13

As you travel this Lenten journey, what do you hunger for? . . . What do you need to pull you out of the darkness, to help you stay in the Light? . . . Are you ready to go down on your knees before God and talk with Him about your struggles, desires, and tears?

♪♬♪ . . . . Hungry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-9ALZrds-o&list=RDL-9ALZrds-o&start_radio=1

The Prayer of Tears (by Edward Hays)
Lord, Beloved God, since all communion with You is prayer,
may even my tears be psalms of petition and canticles of praise to You.
This is a prayer that You value greatly: the prayer of my tears;
it is a prayer that You always hear, for You are a compassionate and kind God.
 And, Lord, I know You understand that when I am overcome by my tears—
unable to speak or form a prayer—that these very tears voice volumes of verse.
In the name of Your precious Son—Amen.

~  +  ~  +  ~  +  ~    + +    ~  +  ~  +  ~  +  ~ 

Prayer Paths (written by Dr. Debbie Parcel)
is a weekly email letter designed to “fuel”
your active prayer life, help you stay engaged in
focused prayer, and encourage a
growing relationship with our Triune God. 

To receive Prayer Paths by email each week—send a request,
with your name and email,
to BarnabasRoad2025@gmail.com 

(Prayer Paths is offered through Barnabas Road Ministries)