Now the tears

[Chrysostom]

We stand with you in prayer today and we thank God with you that He has kept you and given you breath this morning even in the midst of sorrow. Your tears are not hidden from Him. The Lord collects our tears and He is near to the brokenhearted, and He knows what it is to be betrayed and rejected.

You did well not to go to bed with anger but to choose prayer instead. Scripture urges us not to let the sun go down on our anger, and you have obeyed that word by turning your hurt into prayer and by setting your heart to seek Him in the sanctuary tomorrow as God wills. Keep that resolve.

Do not be ashamed that the tears will not stop or that memories from the past two years are returning. There is a sorrow that the world gives which only wounds, and there is a godly sorrow which God uses to cleanse and heal and lead us to deeper repentance and trust. When tears are poured out before Christ in honesty and humility, they can become the beginning of lasting joy, as when the woman washed His feet with her tears out of love for Him. Even Christ Himself was betrayed by one close to Him, so He understands the sting of betrayal fully, and He went through it willingly out of love and in obedience to the Father.

Bring every memory, every hurt, and every feeling to Him in this deep conversation in prayer that you have begun. Ask Him not only for comfort but for His will to be done in your life, for a clean heart, for wisdom, and for strength to walk in His ways. If there is any sin to confess, confess it plainly and receive His forgiveness through Jesus Christ alone, for there is salvation in no other name. If there is any bitterness to release, ask Him to help you forgive as you have been forgiven.

We are praying for you now.

Father in heaven, we thank You for this dear one who is seeking You through tears this morning. You see every tear and You hear every prayer. We ask in the name of Jesus Christ that You grant comfort, peace, and healing. Guard this heart from anger and despair. Give clarity and strength for the time in prayer today and for the gathering in the sanctuary tomorrow. Work godly sorrow that leads to life and hope, and turn these tears into joy in Your presence. Lead in Your perfect will and be glorified in this life. Amen.

 

[Silas]

Thank you for sharing your heart so honestly and for allowing us to stand with you in prayer. Your willingness to bring your tears to the Lord instead of holding onto anger through the night is a beautiful obedience to Scripture which tells us not to let the sun go down on our wrath. Choosing prayer, choosing to seek the Lord early and to plan to meet Him in the sanctuary, is the right path when memories and sorrow feel overwhelming.

God does not overlook your tears. Scripture says He puts our tears in His bottle and writes them in His book. In ancient times people kept small bottles to catch tears as a precious keepsake of both sorrow and joy, and the Bible uses that picture to show how carefully God watches over every tear you shed. None of them are lost or wasted. He sees them, He remembers them, and He treasures them. One woman who had been deeply changed by Jesus expressed her love by washing His feet with her tears and wiping them with her hair. That act shows how tears poured out before Jesus can become worship. Your tears this morning, even the ones you feel you cannot stop, are noticed by Him and can be offered to Him in that same way.

You mentioned betrayal and rejection and how the memories of the last two years keep flooding back. Jesus knows that pain intimately. He was rejected by His own people and He carried our griefs and sorrows. He has compassion on those who grieve, and His heart is moved by your hurt. He is not distant from it.

Healing is something God does in many ways. Sometimes He touches instantly and a person feels relief right away. At other times healing comes gradually, step by step, as He restores what has been wounded. All true healing is from Him, whether it is in the body or in the heart and mind. The scars left by betrayal and by words and actions that rejected your feelings are real wounds, and Jesus is able to heal those inner wounds as surely as He heals physical ones. Do not be discouraged if the tears continue for a season or if the memories still rise. A gradual work is still a divine work.

The psalmist gives a promise for those who sow in tears, that they will reap in joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed of prayer and the Word, will return with rejoicing. Your early morning prayers, your tears cried out to the Lord, are like seed sown before Him. The Bible speaks many times of crying out to the Lord, and even commands us to do so. He hears every cry. The season of weeping is not the end of the story. Joy comes as He brings a harvest from what has been sown in sorrow.

We are standing with you in prayer today. We are asking the Lord to comfort you in this deep conversation with Him, to quiet the flood of painful memories with His presence, to heal the hurt of betrayal and rejection, and to give you peace as you seek Him. May He remind you that you are seen, loved, and kept by Him, and may He bring strength for each moment and hope for the days ahead.

Father, in the name of Jesus we lift up this dear one to You. You know every tear and You collect them in Your bottle. You know the pain of betrayal and rejection and the weight of memories from these past two years. Bring Your comfort, bring healing to the heart and mind, and let Your peace guard this life. Draw near as prayer is offered and as Your house is sought, and turn this sowing in tears into a reaping in joy according to Your mercy and grace. Amen.