Recently, I saw a beautiful plaque on Etsy reading, “Tears are prayers too. They travel to God when we can’t speak.” Then the creator listed Psalm 56:8. But when I looked up the verse, it read: “You have taken account of my miseries; Put my tears in Your bottle. Are they not in Your book?” (Psalm 56:8, NASB). So, I wondered if this interpretation of the verse was correct. Are tears prayers?
So I sought out my Bible and found that, indeed, God sees and hears everything (Proverbs 5:21), even our tears (2 Kings 20:5). He knows everything about us, even our thoughts (Psalm 139, 1-5). God can even hear our prayers and pray for us when we do not know what to pray (Romans 8:26). So, I agree that our tears are a form of prayer.
I am so grateful God Saw My Tears.
I am ashamed to admit it, but after 23 years of marriage, I left my husband. You see, he drank a lot. And I had just discovered my 21-year-old daughter was an alcoholic. Unfortunately, addiction can be genetic. However, it can also be environmental. So, I was convinced my husband needed to stop drinking so our daughter could see it was wrong, and she could stop, too. My husband, however, disagreed. This created a huge rift between us. Over time, our different views about alcohol addiction and our inability to help our daughter destroyed our relationship.
My dearest friend and Christian mentor listened to me cry, as well as all the reasons why I left. Then she told me the truth in love. “This is not a Biblical reason to leave your marriage.” Upon hearing these words, I was initially angry. Then, I fell into a deep depression. I was ashamed and didn’t know how to fix my life.
But God…He was there with me through it all. He heard my pleas, saw my tears, and comforted me. This was one of the lowest points in my life. So, I am forever grateful the Lord was there with open arms when I sought Him. Eventually, after almost a year, I was able to return to my marriage and try to make things right.
However, in full disclosure, despite my best efforts, my marriage failed several years later. I was convinced that my husband’s drinking meant he didn’t love me. And I admit I acted poorly as a result. This, on top of the loss of our son years earlier, had unfortunately broken us beyond what we could repair. But again, God was with me, catching my tears through it all.
God Sees Our Tears And Hears Our Prayers.
God is never blind to our tears nor deaf to our prayers, whether we utter our pain or cry silently. As my story illustrates, God is with us through good times and bad. And even if our problems are of our own making, as mine were, He hears, sees, and helps. “I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears” (2 Kings 20:5). “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I” (Isaiah 58:9, NIV).
It’s Okay to Cry
We may feel crying demonstrates a lack of faith or trust in God. But God gave us emotions for a reason. Medical science tells us crying flushes stress hormones out of our system and releases endorphins, creating emotional and physical healing. So it’s okay to cry when life is hard. Crying is part of healing.
Think of it this way: Rain falls because the clouds get too heavy. Tears fall because the heart gets too heavy. The Bible tells us even Jesus wept after Lazarus died and saw his sisters’ grief (John 11: 33-35). Jesus cried, even though he knew He could and would raise Lazarus from the dead. This is a beautiful picture of God’s heart, love, and willingness to act on our behalf.
What Can We Do When Our Heart Is Breaking?
- Amid heartbreaking circumstances, we can reflect on God’s Goodness. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8, NIV).
Even if we don’t see God moving yet, we can reflect on all the times He has been good to us and helped us in the past. This will restore our hope. “I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall … Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:21, NIV).
- We can create a gratitude list. Gratitude changes everything, including our perspective. “The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see” (Dr. Robert Holden). Gratitude can also change our mood and attitude about the future.
- We can pray and praise God. Praying and giving God gratitude gives us hope and peace. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV).
Tears and Prayers
God sees every tear we cry and hears every prayer we utter. Thus, the tears we shed are not futile. They help our bodies and have meaning to God. He comforts us because He is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3, NIV). He strengthens, helps, and upholds us with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). And God will act on behalf of us when we wait on Him (Isaiah 64:4). Finally, God promises He will wipe every tear from our eyes when Jesus returns. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” Revelation 21:4, NIV).
