by esther phinias | 2 July 2021 08:46 am07
A respected preacher from India once shared a moving vision God gave him during his ministry. While visiting a rural village as part of his outreach, he followed his usual practice of meeting local residents in their homes to share the Word and pray with them. As he approached the home of a woman he knew, she noticed him entering her courtyard. She immediately left what she was doing and rushed out to meet him.
Before he could even greet her, she fell to her knees and began weeping bitterly.
As the preacher bent down to comfort her and ask what was wrong, he was suddenly caught up in a vision. He saw the Lord Jesus Christ standing beside him, observing the woman with compassion. Then Jesus moved closer to her, touched her left cheek, and gently began collecting her tears in His hands until they formed a small pool.
In the next moment, the preacher saw Jesus ascending into heaven, with the weeping woman at His side. They arrived at a place of indescribable beauty, and before them stood what looked like the Ark of the Covenant—a powerful symbol of God’s presence, mercy, and covenant faithfulness (cf. Exodus 25:21–22). Jesus then poured the woman’s tears upon the Ark and began to intercede for her before the Father. His prayers were filled with deep groaning and many tears.
After some time, a thunderous voice declared:
“She has been heard.”
At that moment, Jesus ceased praying, turned to the preacher, and said:
“Tell My daughter that the four things she has been asking of God have been granted.”
In an instant, the preacher found himself back with the woman, standing beside her in her courtyard. He lifted her up and shared everything he had seen. Overwhelmed with joy, she began to dance, laugh, and praise God because her prayers had been answered.
Theological Reflection: God Values Our Tears
This testimony echoes the deep truth found in Psalm 56:8 (ESV):
You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?
This passage reveals God’s tender concern for His children’s suffering. Every tear you shed is noticed, counted, collected, and preserved—none of them are wasted. In the ancient world, bottles or “tear vials” were sometimes used in times of mourning to symbolize sorrow. Here, the psalmist uses it poetically to express that God is intimately aware of our pain and records it in His heavenly “book of remembrance” (cf. Malachi 3:16).
This should give great comfort to every believer: God does not overlook your suffering.
Jesus Himself is described as “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3), and during His earthly ministry, He wept at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35)—not only because of the loss, but because of the brokenness of a world ravaged by sin and death. Your tears resonate with the heart of God.
Jesus Is Still Interceding for You
This vision also illustrates a critical New Testament truth: Jesus continues His priestly ministry of intercession in heaven. His role as our High Priest did not end with His earthly life. The writer of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 7:25 (ESV):
Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Even now, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, advocating on our behalf (cf. Romans 8:34). Your prayers, even those offered in tears and silence, are brought before the throne of grace by the One who understands perfectly what you are going through.
Romans 8:26 (ESV):
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
So even when your words fail, your tears become prayers, carried by the Holy Spirit and presented before God by the Son.
Don’t Give Up—Jesus Sees, Jesus Hears, Jesus Cares
Are you crying because of loss, illness, injustice, persecution, or hardship in your faith journey? Remember that Jesus sees every tear and hears every cry. Like the apostle Paul, you may be serving the Lord with tears:
Acts 20:19–20 (ESV):
… serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house.
But God has not forgotten you. Jesus is not indifferent. He is present in your suffering, and He is your ever-faithful intercessor and comforter.
Final Encouragement
Child of God, do not lose heart. Your pain is not in vain. Your tears are not forgotten. The One who collects them in His bottle also writes them in His book—and His book does not lie.
Let these words comfort you:
Revelation 21:4 (ESV):
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
To Him who sees our tears and hears our prayers—be glory, honor, and praise, now and forever.
Amen.
May the Lord bless you richly and give you peace.
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2021/07/02/lord-put-my-tears-in-your-bottle/
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