Psalms 126:5, “Those Who Sow In Tears Will Reap With Songs of Joy.” (NIV)
Psalm 126 describes an interesting process that goes against our natural tendencies. Whenever we encounter a crisis that brings tears, our tendency is to retreat in isolation and depression. However, God tells us a better way to handle such times of travail: “Those Who Sow In Tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6 NIV).
If you dare to do what’s unnatural in uncomfortable circumstances, God will make sure that your sowing in tears will return to you in joy!
This is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned when facing difficulties. Rather than sit back and allow self-pity and discouragement to consume me, I’ve learned to Plant Seed during this time instead. I’ve learned to reach out to someone who needs a friend. Why? Because, “A friend loves at all times…” Proverbs 17:17 NIV. And there’s some folks that need “Friends [that] love through all kinds of weather…” Proverbs 17:17 MSG.
Friends that aren’t there just when the check comes in, or the new car is ready to be picked up, or those who’ll show up at the graduation and birthday parties. But some folks need “friends” that will be there when the promotion is denied, the car loan is turned down, the ministry is failing, the marriage is falling apart, a loved one has passed on and faith is wavering. “Friends” whose situations aren’t much better than yours, but they love you enough to share their tears with you and sow seeds of encouragement, even while in their own barren season! Now That’s What I Call a True All-Weather Friend!
Yes, everybody at one time or another needs “Friends [that] love through all kinds of weather…”
Believe me, I understand, it’s hard to sow while you’re in pain yourself, But Sow Anyhow. Why? Because here’s what happens when you do: “He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, Will Return With Songs of Joy, Carrying Sheaves With Him.” I’m by no means a singer, but you can’t stop me from trying! “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.” Psalm 98:1. Your sowing will give you a New Song, and that New Song comes with New Joy! And the Bible says, “…neither be ye sorry; for the Joy of the LORD is Your Strength.” Nehemiah 8:10. So not only do you get a Song, but you get Strength! And God loves you so much, that He Still Promises More!
Listen: Sheaves are bundles of grain stalks laid length-ways and tied together after reaping. Sheaves represent the Fruit of a Harvest! Yes, Family, We Actually Reap a Harvest From the Seeds We’ve Sown In Tears! And not just any Harvest, but the Sheaves are Bundles (Representing Abundance), they’re Laid Length-ways (or Resting Long), they’re Tied Together (or Linked), and they’re the Result of what we Reap when we Sow in Tears. May I prophecy into your life today? When You Sow In Tears, You Will Reap a Harvest that’s Abundant, Long and Restful, and All Those Tied or Linked to You Will Share In It! Therefore, Don’t Be Ashamed to Sow and Share Your Tears! Amen?!
“You can’t let the circumstances destroy you! Too many in the Kingdom are counting on you to come through this because of the calling on your life to speak into theirs!” Those were words were spoken to me years ago by a dear friend when I was ready to file for a divorce. I was frustrated, tired, bitter, angry, and depressed. I was at the breaking point when this same friend said, “I’ll stand in the gap for you and your husband until the bridge is repaired.” It was then that I learned how to sow in tears. Because this same friend, while ministering to my marriage, Had Just Received Her Divorce Papers After 20 Years of Marriage! I thought if she could help while hurting, So Can I.
You see, too often we cry alone and in private. But why not try something a little less selfish for once and share your tears with someone, and sow the seed of encouragement. After all, you don’t want to miss out on your Song, your Joy, or your “Sheaves” of Promise. Remember: “Those who cry WHILE they plant will joyfully sing WHILE they harvest” (Psalm 126:5 GWT). That word “While” means “At The Same Time”. So at the “Same Time” you’re crying and planting, when the season changes, And It Always Does, you will also be found “Singing WHILE Reaping A Harvest” People of God, no matter how you look at it, that’s not a bad bargain at all!
Another translation says it like this: “So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing” (MSG). While your heart may have weighed you down, your laughter and blessings are on the horizon of lifting you up! Just hold on and hold out a little WHILE longer!
Yes, you may have to pray for someone’s marriage WHILE wondering if yours will make it through the night, but pray anyway!
Yes, you may have to believe God for someone’s child to turn around WHILE hoping your own doesn’t drive their potential over a cliff, but believe anyway!
Yes, you may have to ask God to lower someone’s mortgage WHILE you’re still staring at the foreclosure notice on your own house, but ask anyway!
Yes, you may have to intercede for someone’s car to make it home on Empty, WHILE you scrape up nickels and dimes to get on the bus yourself, but intercede anyway!
Yes, you may have to fast for someone’s health to be restored, WHILE you have a Duane Reade Pharmacy sitting on your own dresser at home, but fast anyway!
And Why Should I Do All This, You Ask, Because: “Those who plant with tears Will Gather Fruit With Songs of Joy” (Psalm 126:5 NLV). Did you catch that? Listen: You’ll Not Only Reap a Harvest, a New Song and the Strength of Joy, But You’ll Also Reap Fruit! And what Fruit will you reap? You’ll Reap An Increase of “…Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23) Yes, when you sow and share your tears, you Reap a whole Harvest of Blessings! So Don’t Under-estimate the Abundance of Sharing a Few Tears With Someone! You Have Far Too Much to Gain, to Lose It to Selfishness!
So Pass the Kleenex and Let the Tears Flow!
Devotional Scripture References:
“I’m tired of all this – so tired. My bed has been floating forty days and nights On the flood of my tears. My mattress is soaked, soggy with tears. The sockets of my eyes are black holes; nearly blind, I squint and grope” (Psalm 6:6-7 MSG)
“Ah, God, listen to my prayer, my cry – open your ears… just look at these tears of mine…Give me a break, cut me some slack before it’s too late and I’m out of here” (Psalm 39:12-13 MSG).
“…I wonder, “Will I ever make it – arrive and drink in God’s presence?” I’m on a diet of tears – tears for breakfast, tears for supper.” (Psalm 42:1-3 MSG)
“Sometimes I ask God… “Why did you let me down? Why am I walking around in tears, harassed by enemies?” They’re …Taunting day after day, “Where is this God of yours?” (Psalm 42:9-10 MSG)
“…I’m caught in a maze and can’t find my way out, blinded by tears of pain and frustration” (Psalm 88:1-9 MSG)
And As Bad As The Psalmist May Sound In All Of That, Even His Tears Reached The Place Where He Could Say: “I said to myself, “Relax and rest. God has showered you with blessings. Soul, you’ve been rescued from death; Eye, you’ve been rescued from tears; And you, Foot, were kept from stumbling” (Psalm 116:7-8 MSG).
People of God, You Won’t Cry Always! But while you’re crying in the meantime, Share Your Tears, Sow Your Tears, and Watch the Blessed Harvest You Reap From the Very One Who Has Promised to Bottle Your Every Tear! “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected All My Tears In Your Bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8 NLT). You may cry a bottle of tears, But Never Forget Who’s Holding The Bottle!
Homework (From Inspiration to Application):
1. How often do you share the tears of others? Even when you are going through yourself?
2. How do you handle when someone comes to you in need of encouragement, when you need encouragement yourself?
3. Have you ever been blessed to be a part of someone’s tears, and then a part of their blessing once the tears dried up? How did it make you feel?
4. When you are broken and discouraged, who do you turn to? Who do you share your tears with?
5. Can you relate to the Psalmist as he expresses himself to God about how he’s dealing with his tears?
6. When is the last time you had a good cry? How did it make you feel afterwards?
7. Have you experienced someone standing in the gap for you, when they were going through themselves? How did that make you feel?
8. Do you find it difficult to share your tears? Why or Why not?
9. What’s the one thing or person you’ve been crying over that should’ve stopped long ago? Are you seeking help?
10. Are your tears a part of your worship?
Devotional Quotes:
“Tears are words the heart can’t express” (Author Unknown)
“Perhaps our eyes need to be washed by our tears once in a while, so that we can see Life with a Clearer view again” (Alex Tan)
“Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it” (Albert Smith)
“If I can see pain in your eyes then share with me your tears. If I can see joy in your eyes then share with me your smile” (Santosh Kalwar)
“Life is full of happiness and tears; be strong and have faith.” (Kareena Kapoor Khan)
“Tears are prayers too. They travel to God when we can’t speak.”
“Crying doesn’t indicate that you’re weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you’re alive.”
“Rain falls because the clouds can no longer handle the weight. Tears fall because the heart can no longer handle the pain.”
“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” (Dr. Seuss)
“Tears are good. What flows is alive. Crying is like a thundershower for the soul. The air feels so wonderful after the rain. Don’t think too much. Breathe. Don’t be harsh or demanding on yourself. Just experience your feelings and know that your tears are announcing change in your life. Change is coming; like a summer rain to wash away your pain. Have faith that things are getting better.” (Bryant McGill)
“A strong person is not the one who doesn’t cry. A strong person is the one who cries and sheds tears for a moment, then gets up and fights again.”
“Tears are the silent language of grief.” (Voltaire)
“A friend who understands your tears is much more valuable than a lot of friends who only know your smile.”
“Those who cannot cry because they believe that tears are a sign of weakness, spiritual ineptness, and self-pity, should go sit under the sky. Is the sky not powerful when it cries? Does not the sky know that both tears and sunlight are necessary for growth?” (Sandra Kring)
“A tear today is an investment in a laugh tomorrow.” (Jack Hyles)
“A true friend sees the first tear and catches the second.”
“There is nothing more beautiful and powerful than a smile that has struggled through the tears. Don’t regret your time, even the moments that were filled with hurt. Smile because you learned from it and gained the strength to rise above it. In the end, it’s not what you have been through that defines who you are; it’s how you got through it that has made you the person you are today, and the person you are capable of being tomorrow.”
“Lesson in Life: A wise man sat in the audience and cracked a joke. Everybody laughs like crazy. After a moment, he cracked the same joke again. This time, less people laughed. He cracked the same joke again and again. When there is no more laughter in the crowd, he smiled and said: ‘You can’t laugh at the same joke again and again, but why do you keep crying over the same thing over and over again?’”
“You can’t give up, even if all you do is cry. Swallow your tears, stand up on your own two feet and show them that you aren’t giving up. No matter what.”
“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.” (Henri J.M. Nouwen)
“Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow.” (Rita Schiano)
“People cry, not because they’re weak. It’s because they’ve been strong for too long.”
“Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, be strong and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.” (John Mayer)
“Crying is the only way your eyes speak when your mouth can’t explain how things made your heart broken.”
“Tears are often the telescope by which men see far into heaven.” (Henry Ward Beecher)
Much Love, Dr. Shermaine #EnjoyTheRead #BeInspired #BeEncouraged #BeEmpowered #BeChallenged #PleaseShare
No comments:
Post a Comment