‘Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.’ Psalm 126:6 NIV
If you cry easily, it could be that God has given you a ministry of tears. What is that? Liz Curtis Higgs explains: ‘I cry easily and often. Happy tears, sad tears, over-the-top tears… you name it… I cry at church… When I hear a wondrous truth spoken or a glorious song lifted in praise, when I see a new believer step forward or an old saint read the Scriptures, I’m so overwhelmed with God’s presence that tears flow down my cheeks… While I’ve made peace with it many women are ashamed of their tearfulness.
A dear woman in Missouri thought her tears were a stumbling block to serving God… She explained, “I want to help hurting people, but the minute I hear their stories, I start weeping.” … I gave her a big hug and said, “You have a ministry of tears! The Bible tells us to ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn’ (Romans 12:15 NIV), and to ‘comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.’ (2 Corinthians 1:4 NIV) Your tears don’t hurt, they help!” God can use anything we surrender to him. Laughter and tears. Joys and sorrows. Victories and mistakes. Strengths and weaknesses. We minister to others best when we offer our true selves—‘as is’—not waiting until we’ve cleaned up our act or dried up our tears, but right now, leaks and all.’ One day ‘God will wipe away every tear.’ (Revelation 21:4 NKJV) But until then, our tears are so precious to Him that, like fine wine and priceless perfume, He preserves them in a bottle (see Psalm 56:8).
SoulFood: Lam 1:1–3:39, Matt 13:47–58, Ps 113, Pro 14:1–4
Renungan Hari Ini [The Word for Today] is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©