Tears in a Bottle from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.
Hezekiah, the king of Israel, became deathly ill from a boil, and the prophet Isaiah came to see him. He didn't bring good news. When Isaiah left, Hezekiah prayed and wept bitterly. The Lord spoke to Isaiah before he got out of the courtyard.
(2 Kings 20:4–5 NKJV) And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you."
The Lord sees our tears. There was an Egyptian custom at funerals to give the mourners a cloth or sponge to wipe their tears. At the end of the funeral, the fabric was wrung out into a bottle. Then the mourner's tears were placed in the tomb with them. David probably referred to this in Psalm 56:8 and also tells us that they are recorded in a book, the book of tears.
(Psalm 56:8 NKJV) ...Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?
There is a record of our tears. When you are hurt beyond words, it's ok to cry. Go into your room, shut the door, and pour your heart out to God. Let the tears fall and get it all out. The Lord encourages it, but don't let self-pity slip in the door, as it is hard to get back out of the house. The Lord will never turn away from the sincere and broken-hearted.
(Psalm 34:18 NKJV) The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.
The Lord Jesus Christ often prayed until He was in tears. It's ok to be real and pour out the pain, for he understands. The writer of Hebrews said this of Jesus:
(Hebrews 5:7 NKJV) who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear
The prophet Malachi mentioned that God has a book of remembrance. There are several books like this mentioned in Scripture, including the Book of Life. Malachi had just finished grilling the people about not tithing and complaining. Then he wrote this:
(Malachi 3:16 NKJV) Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, And the LORD listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the LORD And who meditate on His name.
Their deeds were recorded in a book. Later, in the book of Acts, we can see the records being used. A Roman centurion named Cornelius, who was a gentile, came up for "remembrance."
(Acts 10:1–4 NKJV) There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!" And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, "What is it, lord?" So he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God."
Cornelius's prayers and giving had come to God's attention. What was his reward? His whole household was saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Your prayers, your giving, and your tears are all recorded. Nothing is lost.
(Revelation 20:12 NKJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
For now, it's ok to weep. There is certainly enough pain in the world, and we don't always get to understand why bad things happen to good people. Yet, we need to remember that this Earth is temporary and not our eternal home. Our life is fleeting, for we are just dust in the wind. Yet one day, that will change, and the Lord will wipe away our tears.
(Isaiah 25:8 NKJV) He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken.
We all look forward to the day when there will be no more pain, no sickness, sorrow, or death. No more fears. No more tears.
(Revelation 21:3–4 NKJV) And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
You can pray this with me if you like:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for hearing my prayers and seeing my tears. My life is Yours, Lord. Such as I have, I give to You. Please send me the Comforter today, and cover me with Your presence. Help me be ready when my time comes. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!
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Amen!! Alleluia!! Amen!! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!! To the Glory of God the Father, Amen!!
Amen! The Lord listens to me when I cry out to him, He comes to my aid and send me people who can help me. When I couldn't find a job I cried out to him, and He sent me a girl I had only met once who I really did not know, she told me about a job opening where she worked. I got that job and worked there for 13 years! Later, I lost that job, and we had to sell our house. I was trying to get our house listed, but all the real Estate agents I talked to were liars and cheats. They wanted me to sell my home for less, I guess, so they could get paid faster, not really sure why. I again cried out to God for help. That very day, an old friend of mine called me to ask me a question about where I had worked before. I just happen to tell her we were selling our house and I needed a good, honest Christian person to sell our house. She said my aunt is a Real Estate agent, and she is wonderful Christian lady. She sold our house for my asking price, and it was a wonderful experience. God hears our prayers and He does send help. Thank you, God, for always hearing our prayers and sending us helpers!! Praise the Lord, for He is good and worthy to be praised!!
PTL, Sherry, for your tremendous testimonies of our Lord's faithfulness! God is good and worthy of our praise!
Thank you Cathy!
What an awesome testimony!! Thanks for sharing it .
Thank you for your kind comments, We are sisters in Christ!!
PRISE THE LORD. GOD IS GOOD ANS FAITHFUL AND EVERYTHING IS FOR HIS GLORY. ALLELUIA
Amen! Praise the Lord!!
Amen
Amen Father thank You for hearing my prayers. I praise Your glorious Name. I love You with my whole heart.
Amen. Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Mercy and Grace. You have witnessed my tears and have comforted my pain. Thank You Amen
Hallelujah Amen. Thank you Lord for comforting me and loving me. Thank you Lord for all I have and need. Your Grace and Mercy is sufficient!!
Thank you Heavenly Father for loving us.We surely love you.Help us with the pain and wipe away our tears. Amen
Thank You Father For Always Being Around When I Need You And Even When I Think I Can Do Things On My Own Amen Good Morning Everyone
Amen !!! God Bless !
Beautiful, thank you.
Amen
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, Amen!
Thank you, Pastor Dion, for this message of HOPE! So very needed as we experience the negativity of the day-to-day world. Lord, keep my eyes on You and Your promise of eternity without tears. Thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen
Thank You Heavenly Father for listening my prayers and for giving us the hope and strength to keep going with our lives. Your will be done on hearth as it is in Heaven, love Your grace and mercy towards us,in Jesus Christ name I pray, Amen.
Pastor, beautiful and comforting message. Thank you and God bless you and Sylvia, Amen.
Great message thank you RHM family for all you do
Yes, amen Lord
Amen!
I feel like I've cried an ocean in the past seven years. Thank you God for getting me through. Praise God Amen
Amen!
Amen and Amen!!! Thinking of our Lord Jesus as He looked upon Jerusalem and wept, here is our Lord weeping for His creation, His children, and I strongly believe that as we hurt and as we cry HE cries with us - HE is our weeping Savior!!!