His Weeping Is Not In Vain

“Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.' Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. And He said, 'Where have you laid him?' They said to Him, 'Lord, come and see.' Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, 'See how He loved him!'" ~John 11:32-36

Last night I met a man who began almost every sentence with, “I don’t know if you want to hear this,” or “You probably don’t want to hear this,” and finally, “You don’t have to hear this…do you want to hear this?”

Little did this man know that the listening ear is a chosen weapon for us ‘scouts’. God’s Holy Spirit uses the listening ear to show us how we ought to pray. I don’t believe I am gifted with evangelistic speech but with God’s discernment, I can listen and take these findings (motivations, hurts, enquiries, confusions, and disappointments) back to the One who knows all. No, I am not a gifted speaker but the Lord is. I am learning to let Him do the talking at His will, at His command.

God’s voice: “On you go,” I replied, “of course I want to listen.”

The man: “I have not stopped weeping—that is, I have wept every day, all day for the last five years.”

God’s heart: I have wept over this man for longer than the last five years.

God’s voice: “As sure as you sit up every night weeping, Jesus weeps over you. He loves you, He died for you and He wants you with Him. Remember these words when you wake up weeping on this night."

Later the man turned to Robert and began to ask him questions. Robert (who leads the outreach) shared, with powerful conviction, from his heart all that the Holy Spirit had done to bring Him into a loving relationship with Jesus and all He still does to this day…even that God Himself led this man to have this very conversation with us. The man’s heart seemed to soften. By the end of the evening, he had taken away some gospel tracts and a copy of God’s own voice, the Bible.

The man: “Perhaps there is something to what you’ve said to me tonight…I will take this all on board and think about it this week. I will take this book away with me and read it from cover to cover and let you know what I find out when I see you next Friday.”

Upon comparing notes after his departure, we discovered that the Lord had given us all the same urgency over this man: He was not to leave without hearing God’s words, His truth.

Finally, my point: As sure as this man has wept unceasingly for the last five years, Jesus weeps daily over those who are a spiritual representation of the entombed Lazarus. Jesus could see ahead, He knew the outcome, He had the solid hope that Lazarus would arise. So why should He weep? Why? Because Jesus loved Lazarus…He loved Mary…He loved the whole family. By example, Jesus weeps with those who weep. (Romans 12:15)

I don’t know why we feel more urgency at one time or another…but I pray to have a deeper, more consistent sense of it. I would like to weep with urgent, fiery compassion and LOVE as Jesus does. I want His heart. I pray for continued obedience…from making cups of tea, to a listening ear, to sharing God’s voice.

May His name be lifted up—whether in word, prayer or deed—that He might draw souls to Himself and yet awaken them to eternal life. His weeping is not in vain, rather, it is the fruit of His love.

A Heart Set On Pilgrimage

"Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca (or 'Weeping'), they make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion." ~Psalm 84: 5-7

A friend recently suggested I might like blogging. Earlier in the same week I prayed that God would help me to be better at recording His ministry to me. People are always asking me, "So what is God doing in your life?" Whether His voice is visual, audible or still and small, He is always revealing Himself...so much, in fact, that I cannot always keep up with a pen. So my attempts at logging His faithfulness have been better, but still inconsistent. When it is time to send out my quarterly newsletters, there is much to share but it is a real challenge to narrow His concepts, vision and ministry to fit just one page.

There are other reasons I want to log my 'memorial stones' though. Recounting God's faithfulness is something He wisely instructs us to do (Joshua 4). He knows that for each sojourner on the way to Zion, the pathway is layed with stepping stones, each one named Strength. Standing on one, we can look back at the last one and say, "God is good. He is faithful. He is the strength that brought me to the place where I now stand. Let me move forward, always in His direction."

Remembering God's faithfulness and who He is propels us to the next place into which He has prepared for us to walk with Him and toward Him. It is the place where we can continue our fellowship with Him and make Him known. May He also be free to use our experiences as a spring for others during their times in the Valley.

Whether in Scotland or the States, in the Valley of Weeping or in a pool 'neath the downpour of His blessings, may He be found worthy and glorified for Who He is, the things He has done and in the things we endeavor to remember and share.