“... the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces;

                                     The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth...”

                                                                                                                                              Isaiah 25:8

Dearly beloved in Christ,

I greet you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Lord God acts in several ways. He redeems, protects, delivers, relieves our pain, heals and delivers us from fear. In this way we can keep on adding to the ways in which He acts. One such way is to comfort us and wipe away our tears. In our lives, many instances of defeats, disappointments, losses and so many other things make us shed tears. We are continually worried and burdened about so many things contributing to tears.

But Jesus Christ is powerful enough to wipe away your tears, comfort you and guide you to a life of joy. The Bible assures us that the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.

In John 20:15, we read about a woman in tears. “Jesus said to her “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” (John 20:15) Dear Brother/ Sister, are you disheartened and sore with problems? The Lord who sees your tears asks you, “Why do you weep?” He has good intentions to wipe away your tears. That is why He asks you the reason for your tears. What is the reason for your tears? Why have you been hurt? Why are you worried? Are you annoyed? The Lord God knows your broken heart. He desires to give you a new heart. He bore your sins on the cross of Calvary. He wants to wipe away your tears and give you a life of joy and a state of eternal exultation. Dear Brother/ Sister living in the midst of people who do not understand your anguish or reproach, are you shedding tears not being able to divulge your sins? Be assured that the Lord God is able to wipe away your tears.

The Lord Jesus Christ is One who swallowed death victoriously in His resurrection. He comes near you to wipe away your tears. Commit yourself fully in the presence of the Lord who can wipe away your tears. Open your heart to invite him. Today He will wipe away your tears and bind your wounds. He will transform your life into a prosperous one.

There are various reasons for shedding of tears. Let us examine a few of them.

1. Tears for Children

“And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.” Genesis 21:16

Here we read about a woman, who had lost the love of her husband, lost even the water she had for her journey, and lost hope for the life of her only child, walking in the wilderness in agony. In that circumstance, her child would have to die for lack of water. She was shedding tears in broken heart.

Today, are you shedding tears for the sake of your children? As the thirst of your child could not be quenched by you, you may be weeping. Dear Parent, the Lord wants to wipe away your tears today. Perhaps, you are worried that you could not settle the lives of your children properly. You may be looking for a suitable alliance for your son or daughter, and may be sore distressed in the process. The Lord desires to wipe away your tears.

Hagar was in agony as she could do nothing to save her son in the midst of the wilderness. No water was available there. She was expecting the end of his life. She wept aloud. Then the Lord who sees us and knows our problems and has the power to deliver us saw her and enquired her with concern: “What ails you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.” Her eyes were opened and she saw a well of water. Thus, the thirst of the child was quenched in the wilderness. This is the Lord’s miracle.

Today, you may be living in terrible misery, your eyes being closed to facts. You think that there is no way, no deliverance, and no hope for your future. In that state you may be shedding tears. If your eyes are opened, you can see the water flowing with blood from the body of Christ who was crucified for your sake. This will quench your thirst as well as your child’s. Your weeping will turn to joy.

Once the father of a girl who seemed to be insane was terribly upset and came to my house for her tears to be wiped away. He was crying like a small child sobbing. He was a high accounting official in a big sugar factory. She did not know what she was doing. The father shed tears seeing her plight. The Lord that day revealed what he had done as a captive of tradition. Tradition had blinded him. It was custom for him to honour certain idols thinking that they did good things in his life. This was the reason for the pitiable plight of the girl. Then they realized their mistake. Many servants of God together prayed for her. As his eyes were opened, he realized the truth. He offered to walk in the path of truth and set right his path. Tears were wiped away and the life of the girl became prosperous.

Today your children may be suffering because of your spiritual blindness. You may be walking in the ways of your forefathers and worship what they worshipped. Tradition has blinded you. Now pray before the presence of the Lord for your eyes to be opened. David pleads in Psalm 13:3, “Look! Answer me, O Jehovah my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Like him, you can also make your prayer for enlightenment. Then you would know your God and your tears will be wiped away.

When the eyes of the servant of Elisha were opened, he could discern the protection of fiery chariots of soldiers around him. Only when our spiritual eyes are opened, we can understand the great acts of the Lord. We would have clarity in our hearts to receive His blessings.

So, the reason for our tears may be our children. For that to change, our spiritual eyes should be opened. To make the Lord who opened the eyes of Hagar open your eyes, look to the Lord with determination. He will open your eyes.

2. Tears from Lack

“So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat.” 1 Samuel 1:7

Another reason for tears is lack of something we desire. Such things do happen in everyone’s life. If we do not have a child after a few years of married life, we are heartbroken and shed tears. Hagar had that experience. She had no child for herself. She shed tears.

Dear Brother/ Sister, are you shedding tears on account of lack of something in your family life? Do you find it difficult to overcome the lack of something that is essential? The Lord who removes impediments is living in our midst. He is right in our midst. Hallelujah! Pour out your heart fully before Him. Hannah was in agony on account of her family life. She poured her heart before the Lord and made a vow. The Lord met her need and blessed her fivefold. The same Lord lives today. Hallelujah!

The Lord of lords is powerful enough to transform your difficulties. He will bring about a total transformation. Are you disturbed by some lack? Do not be dismayed. The Lord Jesus Christ is rich; He has every authority; He is our Lord of creation. He calls into existence those that do not exist. He will do a miracle of excellence in you.

Once a Professor of a college had written a letter to me concerning his family life. They had no children. According to doctors, there is no medical ground for any hope for the birth of a child. They had been married for 15 years. She was unfit to conceive. He had no idea of doing anything. He needed a child. I wrote him back about Hannah and counselled him to look up to the Lord as He alone can do that. He would do a miracle to change the situation. That Brother along with his wife looked up to the Lord in tears. He who keeps all our tears in jars did a miracle. He had compassion on them and gave them a male baby. They began to live happily.

When they went seeking physicians, they met with failure. The Lord can do what the physicians of this world can’t do. What is the reason for your tears? What do you lack? Is it a job? Or lack of a child or a house?

Why do you shed tears? Go to the presence of the Lord and share your problem with Him. He will supply your need.

3. Tears from Disease

“And said, “Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what is good in Your sight.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

And the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying,

“Go and tell Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.” Isaiah 38:3

The third reason for tears is diseases of the body. King Hezekiah was informed of his impending death by the prophet. He was heartbroken. He shed tears. The Lord who heard his prayers is alive in our midst. He can quell the boisterous ocean and the storm. Jesus Christ has the power to forgive our sins. He can also deliver us from the clutches of the devil. He became curse for our sake. He went about doing good to reveal the glory of the Lord. If you come to the loving God, you would have the healing of miracle and would be delivered from the afflictions of the disease. He will change your sorrows into joy to inherit a blessed life in your body, soul and spirit.

This king speaks about all that He had done for the sake of the Lord in His presence. He pleads for His pity. He had done so many things for the Lord. He broke the bronze statues of the serpent made in the days of Moses and put an end to idol worship in his days. People were worshiping these idols and making offerings of incense out of their ignorance. The King broke them and removed them. As he referred to all these in his prayer, and sought the Lord in truth, the Lord took pity on him and extended his life. He healed him of the disease.

Dear child of God. If you want the disease to leave you, today commit to serve the Lord. You can decide to live for the Lord and to work for the Lord. If you commit so or if you remind Him what all you did for the Lord, the Lord God will heal you.

In the beginning of my ministry, I used to pray for all the servants of the Lord. One day the Lord showed me the figure of a servant of God and asked me to pray for him to be healed. I had an opportunity to go and minister in his area. I had the privilege of meeting him too. That was the first time I met him. Then I informed him about the disease he had and told him that the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to heal him. At once he was moved to tears.

He caught hold of my hands and invited me to come to his house. That day I prayed for him thinking of all the things he had done for the Lord. The Lord God delivered him from the excruciating pain of his heart. Thereby He wiped away his tears. Because the Lord loved him, He remembered all that he had done for the Lord. He healed him. If you commit to do ministry, He will work a miracle in your life and wipe away your tears. He would heal your wounds and bless you.

4.  Tears of Ignorance

“Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” John 20:13

The reason for our tears may be our ignorance. Jesus Christ had informed His disciples about His tribulations, death on the cross, burial and resurrection on the third day. But the woman did not know those words of the Lord, and she could not understand the truth. So, she sought the risen Lord among the dead. That is why she was shedding tears. Today there are people who seek the living Lord among the dead. How are you seeking the Lord, dear Brother/ Sister? Is your soul living? Do you seek the living Lord in the midst of the living? If you remain among the dead and seek Him among the dead, there would be tears in your life.

Mary had no fear, but had love for Jesus Christ. Therefore, she ran to the graveyard early in the dark even before dawn. She had love and therefore there was no place for fear. She sought the Lord early according to the word of the Lord, and yet she could not see Him. The reason is that she forgot what the Lord had told her to remember. As she could not understand the presence of the risen Lord, she was shedding tears. As she had love for the Lord, He called her by name and revealed Him to her. The Lord God who wants to wipe away your tears reminds you of the reason for your tears with the intention to wipe away your tears. He has the power to do so. He swallowed up death in His resurrection. He was victorious over death. He will remove all reproach in your life and bless you. Dear child of God, He will wipe away your tears from your face.

Are you not shedding tears because of your ignorance? He has the power to wipe away your tears. For Him to do that, you must commit yourself to Him. He will bless you with truth, peace and joy in your boundary.

May the Lord bless us!

In the service of Christ Jesus,

Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.