Where Do Your Tears Go?

Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? All day long they injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife, they lurk; they watch my steps, as they have waited for my life. For their crime will they escape? In wrath cast down the peoples, O God! You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. (Psalm 56:1-8 ESV). Have you ever wondered where prayers go? The Scripture has a little bit to say about our prayers. Moses was instructed in the building of the tabernacle to construct an altar where the incense would burn all day before the Lord allowing the smoke to drift upward to Him symbolizing the prayers of the people (cf. Exodus 40:5). The Apostle John saw the “prayers of the saints” gather like incense and placed before God in a golden bowl (cf. Revelation 5:8). In our reading today David wrote that the prayers of God’s people were like tears collected in a bottle.

As you know I enjoy woodworking. It has become a little more than a hobby lately as I have been selling some pieces to folks as a way of making a little extra retirement income. One piece that I made recently came as a “custom order” from my granddaughter, Faith. She wanted to have something to hang on her bedroom wall. We went to First Monday and she began to show me some pieces that were “sorta” like she wanted. She described exactly what she wanted; picked out the metal ornament and waited for me to finish it. Three Kerr jars and a little handiwork later she has it hanging in her room. As I was doing it for her, I was reminded that God reminds is intimately concerned with every aspect of our lives. God doesn’t judge whether our sorrow is “valid.” But because of His compassion, He catches every tear that is shed. It doesn’t matter how big or small, trivial or important, the sorrow might be. David drew comfort in knowing that no matter what he was going through, God had great compassion on him and gathered all his precious tears in a bottle. David trusted God with his life and his future. He wasn’t embarrassed about his tears, and we need not be either, even when we wish we could hold them back. Life challenges us. Children grow. Seasons of change bump into our normal status quo. When this happens, tears often spring up and efforts to contain them fall short. No matter what sorrow we face today, we can have confidence God cares. How blessed we are that God gives our prayers a special way of celebrating His love for us. God hears every word said or thought from his children. Go ahead, talk to him today!