The Gift of Tears

Jesus wept. –John 11:35

What are tears? Nobody knows exactly. They can’t be explained scientifically. Animals do not cry with tears, only humans. It is an amazing thing that clearly separates us from animals. I suppose the evolutionists would say, “One day as man evolved he started to cry and didn’t know why.” We still don’t know why we cry, but we do. Jesus cried too. The puritans used to pray for “the gift of tears.” Truly tears are a gift from God.

More than once I have been overwhelmed by His presence to the point of uncontrollable, powerful tears. Tears that to me made no intellectual sense at all. I couldn’t tell you the full reason behind my tears but I know that they were necessary. They were necessary to bring me to a closer communion with God. The tears were my spirit speaking for me.

It has been a while since I have cried in His presence and I honestly long for it. I wish for God to touch me in that way again. When the time is right the Spirit will bring me there, but for now He speaks in different ways. It is all I want—to hear Him. Not just to hear His audible voice, but to hear Him in many different ways. Sometimes to hear God all you have to do is stop trying so hard to listen. My God is not dead. He is very much alive and He speaks. He even speaks through me—which is a concept I really don’t understand or deserve—but I thank Him. Thank you Lord for being so good to us.

I am weary with my groaning;
All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
-Psalm 6:6