A List of Tears

Record my lament; list my tears on y0ur scroll -- are they not in your record?
Psalm 56:8

Sculpture of Crying Woman

Think of all the tears you've ever cried.

• That time at recess when you weren't picked for dodge ball.

• The Saturday night of the prom when you sat home alone.

• The job interview that went sour.

• The time your neighbor down the street told you to "quit talking about religion."

• The day your father died.

• The day your spouse left.

You may have thought no one noticed your red eyes.
Not so, God saw.
What's more, he has every intention of rewarding your endurance through that pain.
Why else would he meticulously chronicle every one of your tears?

Every tear you've cried -- think of it -- will be redeemed.
God will give you indescribable glory for your grief.
Not with a general wave of the hand, but in a considered and specific way.
Each tear has been listed; each will be recompensed.
We know how valuable our tears are in his sight --
when the woman anointed Jesus with the valuable perfume, it was the tears with which she washed his feet that moved him most powerfully.

The worth of our weeping is underscored again in Revelation 21:4,
which says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes."

It won't be the duty of angels or others, It'll by God's.

Make a list of the times you've cried from hurt,
disappointment, or physical pain the the last few years.

How might God recompense you?
Did you cry tears in the midst of praise or prayer?
These tears have special power with God, as we saw from Luke 7:44

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair".

Thank you, Lord, for numbering my tears and recording in your book the pain I have experienced. Nothing -- not even my crying -- will be wasted. Bless you for that.

Joni Eareckson Tada
Devotional readings
"More Precious Than Silver"

Blessings, Mimi