“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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