The Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my plea. [Psalm 6:8-9 NLT]
There is something abouts tears and weeping that touches something deep inside of us. I think that tears often reveal what is going on in our heart. As we pray tears sometimes flow. John tells us twice in Revelation that God will one day wipe the tears from our eyes. There is something special about our tears.
Like David, I often cry in prayer. Sometimes over a sin or a failure. Sometimes over something God has whispered to me. In some sense there is a universal language of tears. The gospel writers saw Jesus cry on many occasions. They interpreted his tears by saying that he was moved by compassion.
This imagery is the one that best defines compassion. Tears incite a compassionate reaction in us. They connect us to the pain and suffering of another person. I have been moved to compassionate tears many times when I have prayed for a friend. Perhaps the Lord responds to our prayers in the same way?
Dear Lord. Help us to compassionately connect with the pain and suffering of others.
... this devotion is part of a series about King David.
Amen!
ReplyDelete