“If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John 7:37-38, NIV
I know that real men are not supposed to cry, but I have a confession to make. The closer that I get to Jesus, the more that my eyes seem to leak. I have read that the salt content of tears is similar to the salt content of the oceans. Tears also contain antibodies and an antibacterial enzyme that work with the brine to lubricate and protect the eye. So scientifically speaking, it is healthy to cry. I also know that I’m in good company when I lubricate my eyes, because the easiest Scripture to memorize in the Bible is John 11:35 which simply says, “Jesus wept.” So if it is O.K. for Jesus to cry sometimes, shouldn’t we?
Humans are the only species that cry emotional tears out of sadness, anger or joy. I believe that tears speak much more strongly than words sometimes, and that they are a gateway to the heart. What causes you and me to cry? Are we weeping about the same things that Jesus wept about? I’m not proposing that we should abuse the use of tears (if that is the case we may need medication or a vacation), but sometimes words just don’t seem enough.
I know that the Bible scholars out there will lead me to Revelations 21:4 which states, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” I am looking forward to this day in the New Jerusalem, but the fact still remains that when Jesus was in this present broken and sinful world, He cried.
How do you praise God? Many praise God through speech, music, art, dance and the written word. There is something divine about using our God given creativity to express ourselves back to our Creator through the arts. Music, art, dance and the written word can all bring us closer to the Lord, and help us to understand Him better. I have often expressed a few tears of joy while watching my children exercise their God-given talents to dance, play music and compete in athletics. I have always tried to pray with each one of my children before their events, and I often remind them that they are really dancing and playing for Jesus.
There are so many ways to praise our Lord and give Him the honor and respect that He deserves. God is the only one worthy of our honor, praise and worship. So I say let us worship Him loudly in all of the areas of our lives. Use words when they are appropriate, but feel free to use tears when there are no words available to express how you feel about our precious Savior and Lord. Go ahead and make a joyful noise to the Lord, but let’s use our voices and our singing hearts when we speak.
Manna and Coffee 