See Part 1 of this topic, “How God Uses Tears in a Believers Life” here.
It is widely perceived and accepted that women cry more than men. According to a New York Times article, as babies and children, boys and girls cry about the same amount on average. But by age 18, women would have cried four times as much as men.
Many say that a man’s tear ducts are much larger than that of a woman’s, hence the capacity to hold back more tears.
Also, let us not forget how our culture enforces the idea that “men don’t cry”.
But it amazes me how Jesus, the perfect man to imitate, was exactly the opposite.
Prophet Isaiah prophesied about Jesus to be a man who was “… despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Isaiah 53:3a
The Strongs Bible dictionary explains that as, “sometimes makcowb {mak-obe’}; also (feminine Isaiah 53:3) makfobah {mak-o-baw’}”
Jesus was a person who was not afraid or ashamed to show His emotions, as can be cited in the following verses.
Luke 19:41 ‘And when He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it’
John 11:33-35 ‘When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in His Spirit and greatly troubled. And He said, “Where have you laid him?”
They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.’
Matthew 27:46 ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (That is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”)’
Matthew 27:50 ‘And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His Spirit.’
Hebrews 5:7 ‘In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence.’
The beauty about Jesus is that, as much as He was God, He was completely a man to the point of understanding human emotions to its full extent!
Before Jesus could carry the grief and sorrows of the world, He was closely acquainted with them first. And through out the scripture, you see Jesus attracted to broken people. He had compassion on those that cried out for mercy.
How is Our Heart?
The state of our heart is always evil and full of wickedness. The challenge we have is to keep it pure, unadulterated, clear conscious, and sensitive to God.
Exposing our weakness and vulnerabilities to the light of God causes our tears to flow with gratitude of His grace and mercy.
The heart and tears are closely connected. Sin and familiarity with God adulterates and disconnects our heart from pouring out to God. [ClickToTweet]
The most effective prayers are those that are prayed out of compassion and mercy. The more you connect your heart to your prayer, the more your prayer is heard.
On a daily basis, tune your heart to the heart beat of God. It can only happen if you will stop the world from taking over your heart. Take time to withdraw from all the world and expose your heart to the mercy and light of Jesus.
Have no shame in weeping at His feet! When you are at the feet of Jesus, whether in private or public, make it a habit not to hold back your tears. Don’t bother about what people would think about you. Let’s imitate Jesus in every area. Keep our hearts soft and tender for Jesus.
The best is yet to come.
Discuss: What are the challenges you face in crying out to God in a public setting? Are you able to have a broken heart while praying in private? Share your heart below.