“Thou tellest (countest) my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” (Psalm 56: 8 KJV).
In all his wanderings as he fled from King Saul, David shed many tears, and he was aware that God took knowledge of those tears. And God acknowledges our tears, too.
God doesn’t acknowledge all our tears. Those tears shed because we’ve gotten caught up in some fictitious romance on TV are wasted tears. Christians should not be caught up in such nonsense.
But if the Christian lives for God and follows Jesus and serves Him faithfully, he will encounter many trials, heartaches, and sorrows that will bring tears to his eyes. Washington Irving, in speaking of tears, said, “They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love.”
I think the first tears that are stored and recorded are the tears of repentance; those tears that are shed when a sinner confesses his sins and receives God’s mercy, forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. These are the sweetest tears we will ever shed.
Then there are those tears that the Christian sheds when, after wandering far from God and bringing shame to His name, they return to Him with tears of contrition and repentance. There are tears shed because of the attacks of the enemy and the hurt he can cause. There are tears shed for the lost, for the afflicted, for the nation and for the church.
Jesus was “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Is. 53: 3; Heb. 5: 7). Paul was a servant of God who offered up many tears and cryings during his labors in the church (Acts 20: 19, 31; 2 Cor. 2: 4).
To those that don’t understand, our tears may mean nothing, but to God who is aware of all our heartaches and sorrows, they are stored, recorded, and more precious than wine put in a bottle.
One day in Heaven there will be no more tears for the redeemed people of God, for God will wipe away all our tears and the former things that caused so many tears will be forgotten and be no more (Rev. 7: 17, 21: 4).
Tears
Tears come when our sorrows,
Are vented through our eyes.
When our feelings o’erflow
And mingle with our cries.
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As all our tears pearl up,
And embellish our cheeks,
Each one has a value,
And to the Savior speaks,
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Each tear He will bottle,
And make a record of.
For He knows all our pain,
And will send us His love.
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For tears are a language,
That Jesus understands.
They speak out our heartache,
With words He understands.
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There’s tears of repentance,
And they are the sweetest.
Tears for the church and lost,
Whose flow we can’t arrest.
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Oft’ we cry in private,
Other times in public.
Cry tears of contrition,
Or for being homesick.
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Tears are often our lot,
When we’re given a cross.
We can cry but can’t quit,
No matter what our loss.
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Tears are part of this life,
When wounded, our eyes smart,
From things that tore our soul,
And give a broken heart.
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Our tears will one day cease,
When on that golden shore,
All things will be made new,
Old remembered no more.
James H. Cagle ©
