Tears in a Bottle

At some point in your life, if you have not already, you will experience a crisis that will cause you to fear as you have never feared, you will feel that people all around you are out to get you, you will wonder not just when, but if there will be any relief, and you will doubt if anyone even cares. Such a crisis can take multiple forms and come from a variety of places, but in principle it is a universal problem with a universal solution.

When David was fleeing from Saul, his desperation reached the point that he fled to the land of Israel’s most dreaded enemy, the Philistines, to the city of Gath, the hometown of Goliath. No wonder, then, that David felt oppressed and persecuted (Psa. 56:1). No wonder that he felt hounded by enemies all around. He was on the run from his own people and hiding among his greatest foes (Psa. 56:2). David knew the answer to his fear was faith in God (Psa. 56:3-4), but the constant harangue of the Philistines, thinking evil of him and twisting everything he said to seem a lie, made him fear for his life nonetheless (Psa. 56:5-6). To David, it seemed at that moment that evil would prevail, despite knowing that God was angry with it (Psa. 56:7). However,  his faith rose once again to realize something that we can forget far too easily: God cares about us deeply, far more deeply than our often shallow perspective can appreciate. “You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” (Psa. 56:8). What imagery! No matter where our wanderings and fears have taken us, God knows. No matter how many tears we have cried over a problem, a tragedy, an injustice, or a fear, the LORD has, as it were, a collection of each and every one. Does God care when we are hurting? The record of our tears tells the tale. And it is with this knowledge that the righteous can move on in life regardless of fear and heartache “because God is for me” (Psa. 56:9). Faith, properly focused, can overcome fear (Psa. 56:10-11), at least enough to keep on going and to do the right thing (Psa. 56:12). It is this reflection, that God has kept us to this point in life, and He can care of us the rest of life too, that gives the righteous strength to carry on and not allow the burdens of life, the blows of adversity, or the sorrows of heart to alter our faith (Psa. 56:13).

I do not know the last time that you cried, or why, but God does. He has your tears in His bottle. He has a record of all the pain and fear that you feel. He has not abandoned you to these things—far from it. He is with you each step of the way, ready to listen, ready to bless, and ready to guide. And this is why, in the long run, He is capable of drying every tear from your eye.