Returned&Restored

      This week's Sabbath reading portion has a double title, Nitzvarim - Va yelech. This Sabbath is the last Sabbath in the month of Elul, which is dedicated to the repentance of God's people and their return to the LORD. Within a few days following this Sabbath, the Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah, will take place. This feast day is also known as Rosh Hashanah. 

     This week, we will be focusing on the Nitzvarim part of the title, which means, "are standing". This title comes from Deut. 29:10-13 which contains the words of Moses to the Israelites: "All of you stand today before the LORD your God: your leaders and your tribes and your elders and your officers, all the men of Israel, your little ones and your wives - also the stranger who is in your camp...that you may enter into (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant with the LORD your God, and into His oath (ala - covenant confirmed by an oath, blessing, curse), which the LORD your God makes with you today, that He may establish you today as a people for Himself, and that He may be God to you, just as He has spoken to you, and just as He has sworn to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

     Then the LORD makes the following statement: "I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but with (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us today." (v. 14-15). There is a "today" that is connected with our covenant with God, and His with us. It was not just something entered into long ago, but it is present and now. However, the LORD makes clear that there are those who are not here today, but they will still be able to have their "today" of covenant with Him in the future. In another part of scripture the LORD says, "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you.' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Cor. 6:2, Isa. 49:8). Today, now, is the day in which the LORD has made a place for you to stand before Him and accept His salvation covenant.

This is a beautiful offer to those who will stand before the LORD "today" in covenant, from the youngest to the oldest, from the common citizen to the leaders, from the tribes by blood to the stranger or foreigner in the midst, from those present now to those who will be standing in the future.

     As we saw with the Hebrew meaning of the word, "oath" or ala used above, there is a curse that comes when this covenant is broken. There are several things mentioned in Deut. 29 involving the situations that bring the curse. One involves anyone "whose heart turns away today from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations" creating among His people "a root bearing bitterness or wormwood (la'anah - to curse, poisonous, accursed, bitter things, perverted justice, noxious)." (v. 18). We should understand that the worship of the false gods/idols of the world, both today and as it did then, involved horrible practices including human/child sacrifice, and the use of perversion and prostitution as worship. These practices caused whole nations to be shrouded alive in spiritual darkness: a living death. How much worse is it for someone who knows God to put the corrupted and corrupting things of the world before Him, thereby creating idols?

     Another situation that brings the curse in Deut. 29 is one who hears the words of the curse but ignores the curse, while blessing himself saying "I shall have peace, even though I follow the dictates of my heart..." (v. 19). This person chooses to go their own way not believing the reality of the curse or that he will be affected by it. Perhaps this person thinks that the LORD will bless and protect him anyway. The LORD said that this person's name would be blotted out from under heaven (v. 20).

     This curse would affect the whole land (v. 23). When others would wonder why the LORD had done these things to the whole land, the answer would be given: "Because they have forsaken the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) covenant of the LORD God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt; for they went and served other gods and worshipped them, gods that they did not know and that He had not given to them." (v. 25-26).

     With God dwell the blessings. Separated from God dwell the curses. It is like saying "In the Light, there is light. Separated from the Light, there is darkness", or "With the Giver of Life, there is life. Separated from the Giver of Life, there is death." For the world, including the people of God, that found themselves in darkness and the curse, God sent His Son, Jesus, Messiah/Christ, to become the curse of the Law for us so that we might walk in the eternal blessing of the salvation covenant with God (Gal. 3:10, 13-14).

     What we learn above is only to set the stage for the Sabbath lesson of this week found in Deut. Ch. 30. The LORD establishes a provision for His people to be able to return to Him when they find themselves separated and dispersed, both spiritually and physically: "Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity (sebut/saba - captivity, captives, prisoners, exile/take captive, take or lead away), and have compassion (raham - to love deeply, have mercy, have compassion, to stroke with love, cherishing, soothing, to behold with tenderest affection) on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you." (Deut. 30:1-4, see also Heb. 7:25-26).

     The LORD promises to bring them back to their land and they will possess it, and: "He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live...The LORD your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand...the LORD will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments...and if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (v. 5-10, excerpt).

     How hard does the LORD of All make it for His people to be return to Him? He makes it as easy as turning to Him in complete love, a love which causes His people to obey His voice and Word. Moses said that this was not too difficult, or a thing too distant for them to do: "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. See, I have set before you today (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) life and good, death and evil...I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling (dabaq - follow hard after, cleave to, abide, joined to, pursue closely, cling, adhere firmly, be glued) to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land..." (Deut. 30:11-20, excerpt).

     In another reading portion from this Nitzavim Sabbath, the LORD expresses His desire to the prophet, Jeremiah, for His people to return to Him: "...I earnestly remember him still; therefore My heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, says the LORD...Turn back, O virgin of Israel...How long will you gad about, O you backsliding daughter?...I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul...Behold, the days are coming, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah...I will put My (*aleph-tav/Alpha and Omega) law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people...For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (see Jer. 31: 20-34, excerpts). We can see the heartfelt desire of the LORD for His people to return to Him. Jesus had the same desire as He sent the message of repentance and return to His church in the Book of Revelation: "Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." (Rev. 3:19-20). The church had become so indifferent to their Savior that He had to stand outside the church and knock (krouo - to knock [with a heavy blow]) to be let in! As did His heavenly Father with Israel, Jesus offered other powerful rewards also if the church would return to Him (v. 21-22). To another church Jesus said, "...you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works..." (Rev. 2:4-5). If this church repents, Jesus promises them to eat from the tree of life in Paradise. The first works were driven by the church's love for their Savior. They must return to that love and its fruitful works.

     In another reading portion from this Sabbath, we see a people who have returned to the LORD. This is their voice: "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels." (Isa. 61:10).

     This is the LORD's response to their joyful return: "For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation (yesua - salvation, deliverance, rescue, also the Hebrew name of Jesus) as a lamp that burns. The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name (see also Rev. 3:12-13, Rev. 2:17), which the mouth of the LORD will name. You shall also be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God...and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you...Indeed the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the world: 'Say to the daughter of Zion, surely your salvation is coming; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work (pe'ulla - deeds, good action, a people won back by warfare) before Him." (Isa. 62:1-11, excerpt).

     The second state of the returned people above becomes even more blessed and exalted than their first state. This is the way of the LORD who is forever eager to pour out His mercy upon His people who will return to Him. It is especially at this time of the year that we need to repent, renew our love for the Lord, and return to Him. We should not wait until He is pounding on the door of our hearts asking for entry. Jesus warned that in these days before His return many will fall away and the love of many will wax cold (Mt. 24:10-13, 2 Thess. 2:3). It is time to return to our Lord. Call upon the Lord while He is near.

If you would like to take this opportunity today to return to the LORD whose hands are stretched out to us and waiting (see Isa. 65:1-2), you can join me in my prayer: "My Father, You have shown me mercy in my life. You have saved me through Your beloved Son, Jesus. Today, Lord, I want to repent for going my own way and I want to return to You, my Creator. I want to renew my love for You, to cling to You and follow after You. Jesus, You have made the Way possible for me to return to my Father and be reconciled with Him. Fill me with the Spirit of God who leads me and teaches me in His ways of everlasting life. I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

*NOTE: aleph-tav written in Hebrew as אֶת, are the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The meaning of the two pictographic Hebrew letters can also be interpreted "Adonai (Lord) of the Cross/Covenant". In the New Testament, these letters are translated as Alpha and Omega written as Α Ω , the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters are those by which Jesus Christ identifies Himself in the Book of Revelation: see Rev. 1:8, Rev. 21:6, Rev. 22:13.

Restoration

Do you need restoration from God? We live in an age that cries out day and night for the restoration work of God. As the priesthood of Christ, we are to know that there is a pathway to restoration, which we will read about in this week's Sabbath reading portion. Again we see a double title for this week. The two titles are B'har, meaning "on the mount" and B'chukkotai, meaning "In My statutes". Both of these titles have the addition of the Hebrew letter Beth placed before the words of the titles. The letter Beth, means house or family. The picture that this creates for me is of God building a house. That house is being built on the highest mountain of God, and it is a house built out of His Word (which is Jesus), which includes His statutes (see also Isa. 2:1-3). Jesus said: "In My Father's house are many mansions (mone/meno - dwellings, Holy Spirit indwelling believers/abide, endure, to continue, not to perish) ...I go to prepare a place (topos - space marked off from surrounding space, inhabited place, a passage in a book) for you." (Jn. 14:1-4). Jesus said that this truth that He was revealing also served as a guarantee that He would "come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am , there you may be also." This house is a dwelling place for the Father, the Son, and His people filled with His Holy Spirit of Truth. This house that the Father is building is further described by Paul: "...you are...members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2:19-22). So, as we study this Sabbath's reading portion, we can keep in mind that a dwelling in the Spirit is being constructed. Both of these titles include readings from Leviticus, the Book of the priesthood, in chapters 25 and 26. These chapters deal with a very powerful form of restoration called the Jubilee. During the Jubilee year, all losses are cancelled, and all is restored back to the original owner. It is the year of liberty. The foundation for the year of liberty, or the Jubilee, is the Sabbath: "And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven tmes seven years...forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to your possession, and each of you shall return to his family. That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you." (Lev. 25:8-11). Jesus, as the Messiah of Israel, identified Himself in the Sabbath and the Jubilee. First of all, He told us that He is the Lord of the Sabbath, the building block of Jubilee, as He added: "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." (Mk. 2:27). The Sabbath is not a legalistic or religious obligation, but a powerful blessing provided by God for His miraculous ways, as Jesus explained to a people who only knew the religious burden of the Sabbath (Jn. 5:17-18). The Word of the LORD to Isaiah was to reveal the truth of the Sabbath: "...call the Sabbath a delight (oneg/anag - pleasant, exquisite delight/delicate, dainty, soft, to be pampered, luxurious, be glad), the holy day of the LORD honorable...Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father The mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isa. 58:13-14). The Sabbath is to be an exquisite delight - what a concept! That delight multiplies times itself (7 x 7) into liberty and total restoration (Jubilee). Jesus announced Himself as the fulfillment of the Jubilee while reading scripture aloud in the synagogue on a Sabbath (Lk. 4:15-19, Isa. 61:1-2a). The year of Jubilee is announced on the Day of Atonement, as mentioned in the above verses. Again we have the connection to Jesus, who is the fulfillment of our atonement (1 Jn. 2:2, 4:10). The Jubilee is a year of return - return to our possession, and return to our family, according to the above verses. To what possession do we return in Jubilee? God says that we are His possession, His treasured possession (Deut, 7:6-7, Ex. 19:1-8, 1 Pet. 2:9). To what family are we to return? God has told us that we belong to His family, and are named by His name (Jn. 1:12, Eph. 3:14-15, Rom. 8:14-17, Rev. 22:4). In the promise of Jubilee, we are guaranteed to return to our possession and family, which is God, not only after our death, but while we are alive, and also when we are changed and caught up to Him at the sound of the trumpet (1 Thess. 4:15-18, 1 Cor. 15:50-57). This last is the ultimate fulfillment of Jubilee. If God can open up heaven for our sake, caught up to Him in this amazing way, there is nothing that is impossible for Him to restore to us. The law of redemption is also given in Lev. 25, by which a loss of land to debt may be redeemed by a kinsman on behalf of the debtor, again bringing restoration. The LORD will use this concept of restoration provided by the law in the Book of the priests in order to restore a devastating loss to His people. First, here is the law as the LORD gave it to Moses: "The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine...and in all the land of your possession you shall grant redemption of the land. If one of your brethren becomes poor (muk - poor, low, depressed, sink down, pine away as in poverty), and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold." (Lev. 25:23-25). This is the law of the Kinsman Redeemer. The LORD used this law to establish the line of David as was told in the Book of Ruth, and ultimately the line of the Messiah, the Son of David, Jesus, who would be born centuries later. Jesus is our Redeemer as well, paying the price to buy back what we sold away, which was our souls, to darkness, sin and resulting death (1 Cor. 7:23, Gal. 4:4-5, Eph. 1:7, Titus 2:11-14, Heb. 9:12). In this week's Sabbath portion, the LORD used the law of the kinsman redeemer to make a prophetic promise of mercy to His people. Jeremiah, whose name means "whom Jehovah has appointed", was not only a prophet, but he was also a priest, born into the priestly line of his father, Hilkiah (meaning "my portion is Jehovah"). They came from one of the cities designated as belonging to the priests, which was Anathoth, meaning "answer to prayer" (see Jer. 1:1). Because the sins of God's people had polluted the land, God sent a mighty enemy, King Nebuchadnezzar of Assyria/Babylon, to lay siege to Jerusalem. This foreign king would eventually conquer Jerusalem and take its inhabitants a thousand miles away back to Babylon. He would also loot and destroy the temple of God. Jeremiah had been warning and prophesying that God would not give Judah the victory over this enemy. The people and their king would go into exile in a foreign land, according to the prophetic Word brought by Jeremiah (Jer. 32:1-5, Jer. 17:4). While Jeremiah was imprisoned by his king because of the prophetic Word that he spoke, his cousin, Hanamel (meaning "God is gracious"/mercy, favor), the son of Jeremiah's uncle, Shallum (meaning recompense, restore, repay, peace, covenant of peace), asked him to redeem his aleph-tav field (see Mt. 13:44) in Anathoth: "...for the rght of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself." (v. 6-12). Jeremiah did exercise his right of redemption under the law, and bought the field. He redeemed the field even knowing, by the prophetic Word which the LORD had given him, that Judah and Jerusalem were about to fall to the Babylonian king. After Jeremiah redeemed the field, the LORD told him the prophetic significance of what he had just done: "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Take these deeds...and put them in an earthen vessel (see 2 Cor. 4:6-7), that they may last many days.' For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: 'Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." (Jer. 32:13-15). The redemption of the priest's field became the prophetic promise of the redemption of the land of Israel. Although the people would be exiled, and the land forced into a Sabbath rest of seventy years, the LORD did not leave His people without a promise of restoration. In another of our Sabbath readings, the prophet Amos spoke of the widespread destruction and death that would come upon Israel. Amos was not a priest like Jeremiah, but, instead, was of humble status. He was a herdsman of sheep (noqed - marked with identifying punctures) from Tekoa (root meaning - drive a nail, strike, smite, thrust a weapon), which was near Bethlehem (see Amos 1:1). Although he was from the southern kingdom of Judah, Amos was called by the LORD to prophesy to the northern kingdom of Israel. A priest went before the king of Israel and accused Amos of being a conspirator because he prophesied that the king would be killed, and the people would be led away into captivity (Amos 7:10-11). One of the reasons that the LORD was bringing this catastrophe upon the land and people was because they resented His Sabbaths, His exquisite delights of restoration. They resented the Sabbaths because the Sabbaths interfered with their buying and selling (Amos 8:5-6). Leviticus 26 from this week's Sabbath reading recorded the blessings that would be received for forsaking idols, and observing and honoring the Sabbath, concluding: "I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright (qommiyut/qum - uprightness, elevation, as a freeman/raise up, arise, establish)." (v. 1-13). The LORD is building a house, and it is a house that inhabits the highest mountain in the Spirit, and is established in His Word (statutes), Jesus. If you would like to know more about what the LORD is building, you can pray with me: "Father in heaven, You are full of grace and mercy to those who love You, and seek You. You call me into Your house, where Jesus, my Kinsman Redeemer, has prepared a place for me. I praise and thank You for Your Sabbaths, made for man, and full of Your restoration glory. Teach me Your Word, and fill me with Your Holy Spirit, so that I can learn and understand Your paths (Ps. 25:4-5). They are paths that will lead me to green pastures of Your righteousness in order to restore my soul (Ps. 23:1-3). I ask this in Jesus' name. AMEN."

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."