Tears of Comfort

Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – April 18, 2018

Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” John 11:35-36

There is a non-verbal language of love that is communicated through compassionate tears. Empathy engages the heart at levels that verbal exchanges may not be able to penetrate. It is when emotion responds to emotion that a grieving soul senses they are cared for and understood. Tears quietly convey the aura that I feel your pain—I hurt because you hurt.

Comfort is the first step in seeking to serve another’s pain. Refrain from truth telling until the heart receives proper care. Fear and anger have to be flushed from a hurting heart before facts can be appropriately applied and comprehended. It’s from a context of love and acceptance that people trust and receive. Tears become a conduit for Christ’s care.

“This is what the LORD, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you” (2 Kings 20:5b).

We mourn with those who mourn so they are not alone. Desperation feeds at the table of aloneness, but security and peace preoccupy the person comforted by a community. It starts with a patient spouse or friend and spills over to sincere souls who believe in Jesus to bring wholeness and healing. Tears shed in love terminate isolation and invite intimacy.

Does your husband, wife or child need a response of compassion, rather than a reaction of passion? Does your team at work need you first to listen and understand, instead of feeling an automatic demand for your agenda? Yes, truth sets free—but the mind comprehends after the heart has been heard. Tears prepare the way for truth’s arrival.

“I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter” (Ecclesiastes 4:1b).

How is your heart? Do you have a safe environment to lay bare your soul? Self-reliance and self-condemnation are obstacles to intimacy with your heavenly Father and with those who love you the most. Dismiss driven discipline—instead practice vulnerable dependency. Replace shame with security in your Savior, and trusting transparency with a caring community. Your tears open your heart to emotional and spiritual healing. Free your soul to speak with moist eyes to your master Jesus—as He lovingly weeps with you.

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:7).

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