PropheticCries

Nothing concerning His people is ever lost before the LORD. There are times in our lives when we weep and grieve in sorrow. Sometimes we hesitate to talk about the grief that can weigh our hearts. Even a believer's heart that rejoices in the LORD can also grieve. God's heart has known grief (Gen. 6:6, Isa. 53:3, Jn. 11:33-35, Lk. 19:41-44, Heb. 5:7-9, Eph. 4:30-32), so He understands the heaviness of loss, betrayal, disappointment, pain. Sometimes we think, or perhaps others tell us, that to grieve "overly long" means that we don't have faith. David cried out to the LORD from a place of fear and sorrow. However, he knew this of the LORD: "You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle (nod - a skin or leather bag for keeping fluids like milk or wine); Are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back. This I know, because God is for me." (Psalm 56:8-9). As David said, God does not just indulge our tears, but preserves them. Why? They are precious to Him, but also, we have evidence that our tears and cries are prophetic before Him. Jesus cried to the LORD, His Father, from the cross, and those cries are still working today. For example from scripture: "...'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do'. And they divided His garments and cast lots." (Lk. 23:34). God understands our loss, and in honor and remembrance of it, He causes our tears to prophesy. We have an example of the prophetic nature of tears from this week's Sabbath reading portion from Gen. 35. Jacob labored for his relative, Laban, for seven years to win marriage with Laban's beautiful daughter, Rachel. After those seven years, Laban told Jacob that he would have to marry the older daughter, Leah, first. Then Jacob had to labor an additional seven years to finally marry the love of his life, Rachel. Rachel gave birth to one son with Jacob whose name was Joseph. She conceived a second son, and the time came to deliver her child as they traveled towards Ephrath (meaning place of fruitfulness, to cause to bear fruit), which became known as Bethlehem: "...and she had hard labor...the midwife said to her, 'Do not fear; you will have this son also.' And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-O ni (meaning "the son of my sorrow"); but his father called him Benjamin (meaning "son of the right hand"). And so Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day." (Gen. 35:16-20). The two names given to the baby born to Rachel that day point to the Messiah. Isaiah prophesied the suffering Messiah as "A Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief" (Isa. 53:3). We know that the resurrected Christ is also described as being seated or standing at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19, Rom. 8:34, 1 Pet. 3:21-22, Acts 7:55-56, Acts 2:32-33). We see the involvement of the town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, in this account also. The pillar that Jacob placed on Rachel's grave acted as a memorial, but also in the Hebrew meaning of the word masseba it means "to establish, station oneself, take one's stand, appointed". The word is also associated with a military garrison. Resulting from this time of grief for Rachel and for Jacob, a prophetic appointment was made by God involving the Messiah to come. That is not the only prophetic appointment sealed in Rachel's tears before God. In another portion from this Sabbath's reading from Jeremiah 31, the LORD, who had prophesied to Jeremiah that His people would be taken into captivity, promised, "At the same time, says the LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people." (v. 1). The LORD promised to re-gather and restore His people. He would do this work, He said, based on tears that have stayed before Him for centuries: "Thus says the LORD: 'A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.' Thus says the LORD: "Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future, says the LORD, that your children shall come back to their own border." (V. 15-17). Rachel's tears in that fruitful place (Ephrath), stayed before the LORD, and were remembered by Him as He showed compassion upon her descendants. King Solomon also wrote: "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven...A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance..." (Eccle. 3:1, 4). The word "time" used here is the Hebrew word ayth, which means "a fit or proper time". However the root word is ad, which means "everlasting, eternity, perpetually, evermore". To me, these meanings are saying that although our physical weeping may last for a fit time, our weeping is remembered and remains before the LORD eternally. Though we may grieve, we grieve with hope. The Word of the LORD brings these promises with it: "Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves (harvest) with him." (Ps. 126:5-6). This is a promise from Revelation: "...for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." (Rev. 7:17), and: "...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...Behold, I make all things new." (Rev. 21:3-5). If you are in a time of grief, a time of weeping, know that the Lord sees and preserves every tear. When Jesus arrived at a group of family and friends weeping for the loss of their loved one, He wept also, even though He came knowing He was going to raise that loved one from death (Jn. 11:31-39). The Lord will bring comfort to your heart, and cause every tear shed to produce a miracle of rejoicing. If your heart has been touched by grief, as many hearts have been in this nation and around the world, you can pray with me: "Heavenly Father, You have seen my grief and numbered my tears. Though my heart weeps, I know that You will use my tears to bring a harvest of miracles. I am not alone in my grief, but You are with me. Turn my mourning into rejoicing for many, even like the Man of sorrows, our Savior, who was raised from the dead, and became the victorious One seated at Your right hand. I ask this in the name of Jesus, AMEN."