“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35 NASB)
The Deacon at our church who faithfully leads our church prayer meeting sent out the verse above to church members who see the value of praying together, prior to our gathering on Monday, Memorial Day. Praise God that He did not cancel prayer meeting because of the holiday! Yes, the holiday did not handcuff us from meeting together and praying. Men, and women, should always pray. You know what prayer does! It changes things and it changes you in the midst of things! It takes the activating of your faith in our prayer-hearing God, and an adamant persistence in petitioning the powerful God we serve, to block the human tendency to cancel prayer meeting due to the holiday. I’m glad we met to activate the Lord’s mighty right hand to intervene in our circumstances, and be moved by the prayers of the faithful who expressed thanksgiving for what the Lord has done, is doing, and shall do.
Now, regarding the reminder. At the start of our prayer meeting, after soliciting the concerns we should address in prayer, the Deacon elaborated on the verse he sent out. He said, “Crying is a way to let it out, to express ourselves to the One who cares and can cause your tears to stop.” He went on and said, in so many words, “It’s okay to cry when we are hurting and to cry when our soul is unquestionably filled with joy.” Those was a good reminder.
In my case, after the reminder, one of my favorite songs came to mind, a song that causes me to shed tears to relieve my hurting and to rejoice in the Lord. Maybe, just maybe the words in the song will do the same for you this morning. Let me share words, written by Andrae Crouch. See how they affect you. It will be okay if you cry. Crying is an emotional gift from God.
“The blood that Jesus shed for me, way back on calvary.
The blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.
And it reaches to the highest mountain. It flows to the lowest valley.
The blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.
It soothes my doubts and calms my fears. And it dries all my tears.
The blood that gives me strength from day to day, it will never lose its power.”
Are you feeling pretty good right now, regardless of what’s going on, realizing that there is indeed power in the blood? Did your eyes water up just a little? I hope that is the case. Be lifted up my friend! Master the climb, stay committed to the climb yourself, on this Thursday, a new day that we have been blessed to see! Shed some tears if you feel like it, or if you are like me, you just can’t help yourself. And do not be ashamed of it, whether you or male or female. It’s alright! Remember, “Jesus wept!” If He cried, so can we!
Supporting the reminder given by the Deacon, in closing, I have provided a quote from a book that most of were required to read in a high school English Literature class. Be blessed!
“Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” (Charles Dickens, Great Expectations)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King