Lift Me Up

John 11:35 (NASB)

³⁵ Jesus wept.

Last week I heard some devastating news from home. I don’t recall too much about the man, except that he was always smiling. What a legacy, to be thought of as eternally happy! The accident that claimed this young man’s life has left a community and more importantly, a close friend, devastated. I have lost friends in my lifetime, best friends. The pain of this loss stays with you. It fades, eventually, but then you hear a song, or a voice and you turn your head and it isn’t them and it is all fresh again. I haven’t walked in this friend’s shoes, but I know how loss and more importantly, sorrow feels.

Dr. O.S. Hawkins said (http://www.faithgateway.com/jesus-weeps-over-our-sorrows/):

“Tears touch the heart of our God. Mary’s heart was broken. Her brother was dead, and it seemed Jesus had arrived too late. She held no hope. She was hurting. She was weeping with deep sobs and wails. She was pouring out her soul to the Lord. When Jesus saw her, He wept with her. This great God is touched by our own hurts and broken hearts.

Tears speak much louder than words. They need no interpreter. The psalmist says that God keeps our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). If you need God’s attention, try tears.

It is okay to cry.

The last time tears are mentioned in the Bible is in Revelation 21:4. It reveals a beautiful scene in heaven: “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This is our hope. He is preserving all our tears in a bottle, and one day He will wipe them all away. King David said it best: “For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Meditate on the fact that we have a Lord who is not far off and removed. He is very near. He is the One who is touched by our broken hearts and weeps with us.”

God is close in times of sorrow. He holds our hands, and sometimes even holds us on His lap, allowing us to weep with the pain flowing freely. Screaming, crying, wailing… not understanding. Not understanding is okay. Not knowing why things happen the way they do is okay. What if the reason is never known, until you stand before your Creator? People touch lives in life and in death. Sometimes, it is the way we recover and how we LIVE after a terrible loss that shows the grace of God.

The only way to heal… the only way, is to allow God in. Little by little, moment by moment, until it doesn’t hurt so bad, until you can draw a breath without feeling like breathing out will shatter the world you now live in.

The Afters, Lift Me Up, for Adam. Praying for you.