tears as prayers

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My eyes will flow without ceasing,

without respite,

until the LORD from heaven

looks down and sees;

Lamentations 3:49-50

Jeremiah does not pretend that faith eliminates sorrows or silences our weeping tears. Instead, we see here that faithful suffering brings every cry into God’s presence. There will be seasons when our prayers seem to be more sighing than speaking, when the aching in our hearts squeezes out words and answers seem to never be coming. But in these verses we are reminded that our tears aren’t wasted. The Christian weeps with hope because the Lord sees perfectly, knows completely, and will act in His gracious wisdom and timing for our good and His glory.

Our greatest assurance is found in Jesus Christ, the Man of Sorrows, Who Himself wept, suffered, and cried out to the Father. At His cross, Jesus entered the deepest human grief so that those who trust Him would never suffer alone without purpose. Now that Jesus is risen and reigns, we can wait with confidence, knowing our Lord will certainly “look down and see” in the prefect sense, wiping away every tear and making all things new. Until that day, our tears can be prayers and our sorrow is an invitation to lean on God’s steadfast love. Our hope remains anchored in our Savior Who has promised to never leave or forsake His people!