Category Archives: Tears

Affection, Bible, Death, Emotions, Gentleness, Joy, Mourning, Scripture, Sorrow, Tears

MOURNING – NOT JUST A WOMAN THING

ZECHARIAH 12:14

“all the families that are left, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves.”

Okay, let me ask you something. How many of you grew up being told that real men don’t cry? I can remember my own, dear mother telling me, “Now, now, big boys don’t cry.” I know she meant well and was just trying to comfort me. After all, no one wants to be a cry baby, right? But emotions are felt by all.

In Zechariah 12:12-14, Zechariah says five times, “and their wives by themselves.” Now no one during those days would have been surprised by that. In fact, there were women who were professional mourners. So, why does Zechariah point the women out. Perhaps he wanted to say that so that it would highlight the other mourners, the men. Mind you – this is just my speculation, but it is a thought.

APPLICATION

Let me address the men today. Listen to me – big boys do cry. There is nothing weak about shedding a tear. There is nothing unmanly about showing sorrow and grief. In fact, one of the manliest things you can do is show appropriate emotion when it is called for.

Do I have to remind you of John 11:35. “Jesus wept.” Our Lord and Savior wept at the grave of his dear friend Lazarus. He did not weep because of Lazarus’ death. That would soon be overturned. He knew before He even left for Bethany that He would call forth Lazarus from that tomb. He wept because of the sorrow He saw in the faces of Mary and Martha and others. His heart was touched by that.

I used to get asked to sing a lot at funerals. I seldom had a problem doing that without getting choked up, even if I knew the person well. But if I started looking at the loved ones as I sang, I could easily get teary eyed. Sorrow and grief, men, is a natural emotion God has given us. Show other men how powerful it can be in their lives as you love on others during these times.

Father, thank You for the power of sorrow. It prepares the way for joy!

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Affection, Bible, Crying, Darkness, Death, Despair, Grief, Mourning, Scripture, Tears

WAILING

ZECHARIAH 11:2

“Wail, juniper, because the cedar has fallen, for the magnificent trees have been destroyed; wail, oaks of Bashan, because the impenetrable forest has come down.”

Have you ever heard someone wail? What is that? It’s a loud scream or howl. It has the sound as if someone is dying. It’s an extreme mournful sound. I have heard that sound several times in my life. All of them came at the scene of death. Someone had died and their loved ones were wailing at the thought of never seeing them again. It’s a gut-wrenching sound.

Zechariah continues the imagery of trees and their representation of Israel, the temple and its leaders. If the temple (cedar) has fallen, then the juniper and oaks (their leaders) would certainly fall. The word for “wail” here is used exclusively by the Old Testament prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Joel, Ezekiel, and Amos also employ the use of this descriptive word.

APPLICATION

What are you wailing about? What has you so upset that you can’t eat or drink? I have seen believers who were so upset they could not function. If that is you, may I encourage you to dry your tears and turn your thoughts towards Jesus. He is the author and finisher of your faith. He can restore what you have lost in His own way.

There have been a couple of times in my life when I found myself wailing from deep, personal heartache. We are told in Revelation 21:4, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” Do you believe that? Then trust Him now.

Instead of tears of heartache, I prefer tears of joy. I would rather have tears of repentance than tears of mourning. So, are you wailing? Let your wails be wails of repentance over your sins. Wail to God for Him to forgive you. Wail to Him over the way you have not followed Him as you should. But trust Him in the midst of the wailings. God never runs out of Kleenex to wipe away your tears.

Thank You, Lord, for wiping my tears. I want to wail only over my sins and trust You with all my life.

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Affection, Bible, Crying, Joy, Scripture, Sorrow, Tears

THE REST OF THESE HORSES

ZECHARIAH 6:3

“with the third chariot white horses, and with the fourth chariot strong spotted horses.”

Emotions – they get the best of us, don’t they? I’m a crier. I’ve shared that before. I can cry at the slightest thing. Hallmark commercials make me cry. That old Maxwell House coffee commercial with the young man coming home at Christmas and slipping through the kitchen door, surprising everyone – oh man – waterworks for me, lol.

Why am I talking about crying? Because these last two horses – white and spotted – could cause tears to fall. The white horse can represent joy and victory, two things that bring about tears. It also represented the empire of Alexander the Great, who for the most part was gentle to the Jews. The spotted horse means a mixture of emotions, both good and bad. It also stood for Rome, who in itself was a mixture of all the nations it had conquered.

APPLICATION

What drives your emotions, your tears? When was the last time you cried over a lost soul? The western society manhood card says men cannot cry. Excuse me, but that is just plain baloney. Real men are not afraid to cry. They aren’t afraid to get vulnerable. But we can also cry for those joyous moments. We don’t have it recorded in Scripture, but can’t you just imagine those disciples around the campfire with Jesus after His resurrection? There had to be some tears of joy going on.

Our emotions range from sadness to joy, and both can be expressed through tears. Jesus wept in sorrow over Jerusalem. We know He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35). Do you want to be like Jesus? Then be willing to show your emotions. Cry a little. Laugh a lot. (I just believe Jesus had a great sense of humor.)

Joy and mixed emotions were portrayed by those two horses. That must be important for us. Will you join me in crying tears of joy in knowing all that Christ has done for us? Will you join me in crying tears of sorrow at the estate of our world right now? But let’s not just cry. When we are done and have wiped our eyes and nose, let’s put those tears into action. Let’s tell the greatest story every told to everyone. Let’s get a response out of them. Hopefully, that will bring even more tears of joy!

Tears of joy flow down my cheeks as I think of all You have done for me, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

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Advocate, Affection, Belief, Bible, Darkness, Despair, Encouragement, Scripture, Tears

WHY DO YOU CRY?

MICAH 4:9

“‘Now, why do you cry out loudly? Is there no king among you, or has your counselor perished, that agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth?’”

Nothing is more disturbing for a parent than to see their child cry and not know the reason. We want to soothe them. We want to stop the tears, but they keep coming. This is especially true when they are very young and cannot communicate the reason. We usually figure it out after much trial and error.

Micah is asking the same question for the Lord. “Why do you cry out loudly?” He tells them there is no reason to cry. Even in their deepest valleys, their king is still there. He has not left them. Their counselor is not dead. He is very much alive. And even though the pain is real, this too shall end with much joy, just like a woman’s pain in childbirth ends with the joy of seeing that child for the first time.

APPLICATION

We do the same thing. When we go through a trial or a tough time, we often wonder where God is. We want to blame Him for our suffering. We even think He is trying to hurt us or cause us harm. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has not gone anywhere. He is still right there on His throne.

God allows us to go through trials to build our faith. It is never to tear us down. Some trials are harder than others – the loss of a loved one, a terminal disease. But no matter how hard the trial, God is still there. Our King still reigns. Nothing nor nobody has knocked Him off His throne.

Going through trials time after time allows us to build that faith that can move mountains. We begin to believe that God can sustain us through the darkest moments of our life. And then we can use that knowledge that we have gained to help others when they go through them. Paul tells us this in 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. Take a look at that today.

Thank You, Lord, for always being right there. In the moments of my deepest woes, You are there.

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Advice, Affection, Bible, Comfort, Encouragement, Forgiveness, Inspirational, Intimacy, Listening, Love, Mercy, Repentance, Scripture, Sincerity, Tears

CRY BABIES

HOSEA 7:14

“And they do not cry to Me from their heart when they wail on their beds; for the sake of grain and new wine they assemble themselves, they turn against Me.”

I have to admit – I’m a cry baby. I cry at Hallmark commercials. There is nothing wrong with tears. I like to say crying keeps your tear ducts open. Am I right? Of course, I am. But no one should cry just to cry. I’ve known people who did that. They use those tears to control people.

In today’s verse we see the people crying, but not out to God. They are just crying because of their situation. They are crying out for grain and new wine, perhaps to use in their pagan worship. Their tears are misplaced. Any tears they could shed should have been tears of repentance. But that is not what is happening here. They are just being cry babies.

APPLICATION

What are you crying about? Sometimes we just want to throw a pity party and cry about our situation. We don’t want to hear what the Lord has to say about our situation because we don’t want to admit our errors. We just want to feel bad. Doesn’t that sound strange?

However, the Lord is waiting to heal our hearts. He loves our tears, but not the attention-seeking ones. He loves tears of remorse. When we open our hearts and bare our souls, He is there to listen and comfort. Why don’t you do that? Let Him wipe your tears and pull you close. Don’t just rail at Him for “not seeing you.” He does. He knows.

It’s been a while since I cried deeply. The last time was back when I was going through my chemotherapy. I sobbed for healing. I didn’t think God was listening, but He was. He healed – in His time. He always does – in His own way.

Father, I praise You for Your comfort in the midst of my tears. May my tears always be received by You.

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