The Valley of Tears

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:29-33 ESV).

For centuries, Christians have called this world a “valley of tears.” Yes, Christ has come. Yes, he is risen. And yes, he will come again. But still we mourn and ache and weep, and walk alongside those who mourn and ache and weep. We plod through the “valley” with hearts heavy laden, grieving for any one of a thousand reasons: our depressed children, our distant spouses, our dashed hopes, and our deceased loved ones. Sometimes, we cry because life’s sorrows have become chronic, filling our life like unwelcome houseguests who just won’t leave. Other times, we cry because some unexpected misery lands like a meteor and carves a crater in our soul. And still other times, we cry and don’t know quite why; the grief evades description and analysis. The Bible’s message is not to dry up your tears. The Bible says weeping is typical of life in the valley, and its message to mourners is much more sympathetic. Our reading today declares that God sees us. Not one sparrow falls to the ground apart from God’s notice (v. 29), and neither does one of our tears. When Hagar lifted up her voice in the wilderness of Beersheba, God drew near (cf. Genesis 21:17). When Hannah wept bitterly outside the temple of the Lord, God noticed and remembered (cf. 1 Samuel 1:10, 17). When David became weary with moaning, God didn’t become weary with listening (cf. Psalm 6:6-9). The God of all comfort keeps watch over your weeping; in fact, He gathers up all your tears and puts them in his bottle (cf. Psalm 56:8). Like a mother sitting beside her child’s sickbed, God marks every sigh of discomfort and pain. No matter how much of your anguish has gone unnoticed by others, not one moment has escaped the attention of the God. As God says to King Hezekiah, so he could say to each of his children, “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears” (2 Kings 20:5). Believe in this God. Believing in that God will turn your tears into shouts of joy does not mean that we no longer grieve. But it does mean that we cling to him through the pain, and let every calamity crash us into his arms. And that we learn to lament to God instead of curse his name. We’ll keep reading our Bibles, even when we feel dead to God’s word. We’ll keep on crying out to God, even when he feels deaf to us. And we’ll keep on sowing the seeds of truth and grace into our barren souls, waiting for the day when God takes us home.