Christian Living

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The Gift of Weeping

We are commanded in the Scripture not to steal, not to lie, and not take the Lord’s name in vain. We are commanded not to be afraid and not to worry. Not to trust in riches, and not to think too highly of ourselves. But we are never commanded not to weep.

I am not a person who cries unless the depths of my soul are destroyed. It could be because my father told me “stop being a water head” growing up.
Have you ever wondered why we have tears and weeping? I did, and it dawned on me in my time of reflection that in the beginning God created us in His image. In the beginning He created us with tear ducts. I am amazed, because it must mean that God cries. It was truly a Selah moment.


It makes me think more seriously about the sin in my life, as I must consider the question:

What makes God cry?

We are too casual with the accounts of Jesus weeping. I wonder if we put too much effort into analyzing the moment. I mean if the blood of Jesus is precious, how much also His tears? He is the Son of God and God the Son - and He wept. By reducing, Jesus wept to “the shortest verse in the bible” we are robbed of this depth of this divine moment.


I guess for someone who holds back tears, this is freeing and thought provoking. For if the LORD gave me tears, I must consider verses like these -

Joel 2:11-13 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.


We are too cold to sin in our lives. We take grace and forgiveness for granted, and we do not weep over our offenses toward God. We think of our gold and diamonds as more precious than the blood of Jesus, and certainly we give no thought to the fact that Jesus might still weep as He beholds our un-Christlike and ungodly actions.



In the days of animal sacrifices, the sinner saw and felt the consequences of his sin as the blood of an innocent animal flowed over his hands. He had to watch the priest slit the throat of the unsuspecting animal and know it was because of him that the animal was slain. Those days are gone, and with it the tears of repentance and sorrow for our daily offenses toward God. Would that we could look in the eyes of that trusting lamb or turtle dove, before its throat was slit or its neck broken. Would that we could smell the blood of the many sacrifices at the altar, and that we could hear the final cry of the animal in pain, as we felt the life ebb from its body. The sinners of old knew weeping I am assured. But woe is me, for I have not wept over the sacrifice of the Lamb of God.


We should bemoan loudly and wail with tears when we think that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins; the precious Lamb of God who willingly laid down His life for undeserving and unthankful sinners like me.


Alas, when was the last time we wept over our sins, the sins of our children, our country, and leaders? Miraculous things happened when those in the Word wept as they prayed, and yet we are too busy to lament for more than five minutes, and we certainly don’t want to ruin our make-up. Our vanity, busyness, and pride, may be hindering the LORD from working in our lives and in the lives of those we love. Woe is me, for I am undone.


Maybe the question we should ask is not “What would Jesus do?” But-“Will this make the LORD cry? “

I hope and pray that I will soon be able to cry my eyes out.


And if you have been praying with tears, be at peace. The LORD has heard and seen and He will receive your prayer.




John 11:35 Jesus wept.

Luke 19:40-42
And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.

2 Chronicles 34:26-27
And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to enquire of the LORD, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard; Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the LORD.

Psalm 6:7-9
Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping. The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.

Ecclesiastes 3:4
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

James 4:9
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Luke 6:21
Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Romans 12:15
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

All scripture from the King James Version

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