We shed tears—

tears of joy,

tears of laughter.

But more often than not, we shed . . .

tears of pain,

tears of grief and sorrow,

tears of remorse and regret,

tears of anger and frustration.

And over the past four months a flood of tears have been shed for our nation:

tears for those whose lives have been devastated by a merciless virus;

tears for those who are pre-judged because of the color of their skin, as the reality of racial injustice has come into sharp focus;

tears as we see the brokenness of our nation, as the hope for unity seems to fade;

tears as we witness a national culture that seeks to distance itself from God.

So what do we do with our tears—these tears that rend our hearts, disturb our sleep, rob us of our peace? Well, King David has an answer. He instructs us to “plant” them!

In Psalm 126:5 he wrote: “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.”

Another king. King Hezekiah, applied David’s words when he was critically ill. On his death bed he cried out to God, and God responded: “I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.” ((2 Kings 20:5) Hezekiah was healed and lived another 15 years. Without question, Hezekiah’s tear-filled prayer was replaced with shouts of joy.

God does not regard our tears lightly; he values them. In fact, in yet another psalm, Psalm 56:8, David wrote: “You (Lord) keep track of all my sorrow. You have collected my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (NLT)

Be comforted to know that the tears you shed whether for yourself, your family, or our nation are not wasted when they are planted with prayer. God values your tears, just as He valued Hezekiah’s tears. God is attentive to the cry of your heart. So in faith you can trust Him for an answer, an answer for which you will praise Him with shouts of joy.