Dealing with Tears

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." 

Revelation 21:4

The life that we now live is full of tears.

Tears of grief.
Tears of regret.
Tears of longing.
Tears of suffering.
Tears of shame.

There is such deep pain experienced throughout our life's journey.

A dad who never comes back from war,

A mom who just can't fight the cancer anymore,

A paralyzed child through no fault of his own,

A woman abused, abandoned...alone,

A man who's wrecked his home, and oh what he'd give

A second chance to have, his life to relive!

But alas, these things cannot be undone.

Christians are not exempt from tears.  They suffer like anyone else--sometimes due to the choices of others, sometimes due to the circumstances of this sin-cursed earth, and yet, sometimes due to the consequences of their own mistakes.

But there's great comfort in knowing that the tears shed by a child of God are not hidden or forgotten.

The Lord said, "I have seen thy tears" (II Kings 20:5).

According to Psalm 56:8, God has a bottle and a book that contains our every tear.  He sees, He knows, He remembers, He cares...about every one!

Tragedy happens.  Tears follow.  But what deep anguish to go through tragedy and shed tears without a comforter--without hope!  Such is the plight of a man who knows not the Lord!

"So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter." 

(Ecclesiastes 4:1)

I recently came upon a song that touched my heart:  "There is a Higher Throne," sung beautifully by the Galkin Evangelistic Team on their album, Consider Him, which can be purchased here from iTunes. This song speaks of the promised blessing of eternal fellowship with the Lord, our Shepherd-King.  The second verse reads:

And there we'll find our home, 

Our life before the throne; 

We'll honor Him in perfect song

Where we belong.

He'll wipe each tear-stained eye

As thirst and hunger die.

The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King; 

We'll reign with Him.

It was the statement, "He'll wipe each tear-stained eye," that really moved me.  To me, it makes a difference that God Himself will be the One who wipes away my tears.  It won't be an angel.  It won't merely be Time.  It'll be the loving, compassionate hand of my Abba that caringly wipes away my tears...and that, once and for all!

One final thought:

I know God has decreed that all tears will be finally wiped away, and for that promise I am deeply grateful!

I only wonder if we will still have tears in our hearts.  Oh, not for sin!  Not for shame! Not for sorrow!  But for the same reason why the sinful woman of Luke 7:38 "stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears."

You see, someday we will come face-to-face with our Shepherd-King.  And forevermore we'll worship at His throne, praising Him with hearts full of thanksgiving, for the amazing grace of God that saved a wretch like me!