Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31

Some days my head hits the pillow hard. I lay there thinking “I can’t do this another day.” I’m not only physically tired, but emotionally and mentally as well. Between refereeing conflicts between siblings, homeschool, church responsibilities and the chores, I am spent. Yet, exhausted as I am, my mind runs long into the night. I think about the projects I promised the church I would complete. I remind myself of countless things I need to do for homeschool the next day. I think about people I need to call but haven’t.

Life is hard and it’s tiring. As moms, we are known to give and give and give some more. We juggle many hats and many responsibilities. Children use up all our patience and energy. Our minds are usually full of to-do lists, burdens and worries, if-onlys, and I-need-to’s.

Even a juggler can’t juggle forever. Eventually we wear out and get burned out.

It is such a comfort to know that God never grows weary. He never needs rest. He’s never burdened. And there’s no problem too big for Him.

I also take great comfort in knowing that He is faithful and His love is everlasting. He promised Israel in Isaiah 40 that He would give strength to the weary. He knew how much we labor under sin. He knew we needed rescue from our burdens. He sent His Son who carried the greatest burden for us so we wouldn’t have to.

This same Son knows what it is to be tired, to experience sorrow, and what trials and challenges come with this life. He took on skin like ours and shared in our sufferings. What great hope this brings!

This passage reminds us that our hope indeed is in the Lord. When we hope in Him and believe His promises, our strength is renewed.

Feeling burned out? Know that your Savior carried that same burden to the cross. Know that He wants to strengthen you even today through the power of the gospel of grace. He has taken our burdens and given us wings to soar. He did so that day on the cross over 2,000 years ago and He continues to do so this very day as well.

May this be your confidence and hope.

For further reading: Jeremiah 31:3, Psalm 23, Exodus 15:2, 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 11:28-30

Copyright © 2012 Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

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“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

Do you freely come to God, no matter what is happening in your life? I don’t often enough. Especially when I’ve sinned.  When I’ve messed up with my kids, yelled or said something unkind, the last thing I do is come before God.

In fact, I’m more likely to stay away for a while until I feel worthy. This passage describes the throne as belonging to our gracious God. When Christ died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two. The barrier separating sinner from our holy God was removed. Christ has made us worthy to come before the throne of God. We don’t have to purify ourselves or clean up our mess before we approach Him. Jesus already did that.

Even when my life is a mess and I struggle with sin, I can still come boldly. At the throne, I will receive mercy. He gives me mercy for my past sins and grace to help me through whatever is going on in my life.

We have so much to gain when we approach Him boldly–and nothing to fear. When the whispers of doubt creep in, we must remember His grace and mercy. He desires real relationship with us, not one where we withdraw in fear.

Will you enter His throne room boldly today?

For further reading: Ephesians 3:12, John 1:16, 2 Thess. 2:16-17, Matthew 11:28-30

Copyright © 2012 Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

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“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.  Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”  Psalm 126:5-6

Only God knows the number of tears I have cried over my children.  The tears flowed a river each time they were wheeled away into surgery.  I’ve cried on my knees to God and poured out to him my parenting struggles.  And I’ve cried tears of joy when they asked Jesus to be their Savior.

As one who struggles with depression, tears are my constant companion.  I often struggle with the weight of them and ask God to take them away.  When I search God’s word for answers, I always end up in the Psalms.  And it’s in Psalm 126 He is using to teach me that while the pain that accompanies the tears is difficult, it is not without purpose.

These verses refer to a time in Israel’s history when they returned from exile.  The pain and sorrow they experienced as captives finally came to an end.  Our sorrow and tears too will not last forever, there will be an end.  In Psalms 30, we learn that “weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Spurgeon said of this passage, “Hence, present distress must not be viewed as if it would last for ever; it is not the end, by any means, but only a means to the end. Sorrow is our sowing, rejoicing shall be our reaping. If there were no sowing in tears there would be no reaping in joy. ” But this end to the tears is not just for any and everyone who cries, the ending of tears only comes to those “who sow with tears.”

We must sow our tears.  We must not just let them fall anywhere, they must fall in a place where they can be planted and nourished.  Our tears are not for us alone but are to be used for God’s glory.  In planting our tears, we are promised that they will produce a harvest of joy.

Jesus knew sorrow well for he was “a man of sorrows.”  He came to earth to walk among us and experienced the same pain and suffering we all battle.  He wasn’t just here as a tourist, to merely observe what it was like to be human in a fallen world.  He entered the grief and pain of the people and experienced it for himself.  But he knew that “joy comes in the morning” and sowed his tears as he hung on the cross.  Scripture tells us in Hebrews 12:2 that he did this “for the joy set before him.”  And what was that joy?  Our salvation and restoration of our relationship with God.

How can we sow our tears?  First, we must always bring our tears to Jesus.  We need to lament in prayer before Him as He catches each tear in a bottle.  Our faith and love in Him will strengthen as we trust in Him to use those captured tears for His glory.  In prayer, we’ll plant our tears for the salvation of loved ones, for those hurting, for our own sin and for growth in our faith.  We also need to consider how we can use our tears to encourage others with the same encouragement He has given us. Our tears will reap a harvest for the kingdom when we reach out to others in the name of Jesus.  Matthew Henry wrote “there are tears which are themselves the seed that we must sow, tears of sorrow for sin, our own and others, tears of sympathy with the afflicted church, and the tears of tenderness in prayer and under the word. These are precious seed, such as the husbandman sows when corn is dear and he has but little for his family, and therefore weeps to part with it, yet buries it under ground, in expectation of receiving it again with advantage.”

We may experience times in this life where we see firsthand the harvest of our sorrows as did Joseph and Job.  Even if we don’t witness it here, we are promised unending joy in eternity with our Savior where “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”(Rev. 21:4)

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”  Matthew 5:4

For further study:  Psalm 116:8, Hebrews 5:7-9, Isaiah 35:10

Copyright © Christina Fox, All Rights Reserved

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