Jesus Wept
Jesus Wept
A devotional for January 31st through February 6th
We all cry, sometimes gently and sometimes what seems like rivers. Sometimes the tears are tears of joy, sometimes they are tears of pain. We have all gone through loss, difficult times, situations where tears came to our eyes. There are all kinds of loss we go through but the hardest one is losing someone we love. We go through so many emotions and it’s almost like a roller coaster. One day you feel pretty good and the next, you weep. When we go through this grief, it affects everyone in different ways. Some need to talk, some need hugs, some want to be quiet and left alone. It is not easy on anyone, no matter how you go through the process.
The shortest verse in the bible is John 11:35 “Jesus wept”. It is in the middle of the story where Jesus is told about his friend, Lazarus, who died 4 days before. This verse seems to reflect on Jesus losing his friend. This verse says a lot about God’s character. It is a reflection. God, Jesus, feels pain from the lost and weeps. This is profound.
Think about it. We often, when going through loss, curse God. We turn away from God and blame Him for taking our loved one. This is a wrong attitude to have. God doesn’t take our loved ones. He does not purposely want to cause pain to anyone. Matter of fact, God feels pain. Every time we turn from God, curse Him, blame Him, or just walk away, we are causing God pain. He weeps. He loves us and wants all to be saved.
The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
God waits for us and wants us to turn toward Him. He wants us to repent from our sinful ways, our wrong habits, and turn only to Him. When Jesus returns, and He will come sooner than anyone realizes, He wants to take all of us home with Him, to live in His kingdom. He wants to comfort us and hold us close.
When you are hurting, grieving, turn towards God not away from Him. Think about how you are feeling. How it feels to lose someone you love. That is how God feels when He feels us going down the lost road. He weeps.
When you are hurting, when you lose someone, reach for God in Prayer. It may take some time to go through the process, but He will be right there with you through it all. He will weep with you. If you turn toward God and repent from any sinful ways, God will rejoice in a lost sheep coming home. He will weep with joy.