Romans 8:26-27 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
There’s a viral video of a conversation between a little girl and her mother. The girl looks to be about two or three years old and her mother wants her to stop crying. When the mother asks her if she’s crying, she denies it and says she’s laughing. Her water eyes and sniffling nose, however, tell a different story. It’s clear that she’s having a hard time managing the emotions she’s feeling. At the end of the video she wisely concludes, “I’m a little bit tired and I need a nap.” Beyond the humor of the scenario, this video resonates with many of us because we know exactly how the little girl feels.
Have you ever cried because you were tired? Or because you were overwhelmed? We’ve all cried because we hurt. But, sometimes it’s hard to put words to our tears. Recently, I had several weeks in a row where the stressors were plentiful, layered and persistent. I was doing my best to pray and trust God every day. I read Scriptures to remind me of inspired truth, I sang praise songs and I prayed. Yet, on one occasion, after spending the evening praising and confessing the word, I had a night of dreams that made me wake up feeling anxious and unsettled. As I got up the next morning to spend time with God, I sat still, and tears flowed that I did not have words for. They gave expression to the layers of fear, dread, anxiety and hopelessness I had been fighting.
I realized my tears were not a lack of faith. As long as I invite Him into that space and do not turn away from Him, my tears are a form of communicating with God. Beyond being offended by tears, even Jesus cried with those close to Him. John 11:35 tells us that “Jesus wept,” as he saw the heartache of Mary and Martha when their brother, Lazarus died. He knew that He had the solution to their problem and would ultimately raise Lazarus from the dead. Yet, He was deeply moved by the pain of those He loved. We can trust that God does not chastise us for our tears. He walks alongside us with compassion, even as He guides us to the solution to our problems.
We don’t usually like the circumstances that produce tears, but tears serve a useful purpose.
- Tears are honest. They reveal the truth of your emotions. Is there unresolved hurt or anger or fear? Like the little girl in the video, we may be doing our best to hold it together, but the tears tell the truth.
- Tears connect with God. The Holy Spirit interprets them and intercedes on your behalf.
- Tears cleanse and release pent-up emotion.
We can take comfort in knowing that God interprets our tears, and our tears are not in vain. He meets you where you are and produces a powerful prayer out of your tears. Even when we don’t have words, the Holy Spirit searches our hearts to interpret our needs and prays in alignment with God’s will toward us. 1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, He hears us.”
Be encouraged! Prayers born out of our tears are some of the most honest and powerful prayers we can pray. God sees us; He hears our cry; He cares for us and He responds.
