"He counts not only the hairs of our head (Matt. 10:30) but even our tears, and gathers them into a bottle, as Ps. 56:8 attests: “Thou hast kept count of my tossings; put Thou my tears in Thy bottle! Are they not in Thy book? (56:8.)” No little tear must be shed in vain; it is recorded with large, mighty letters in heaven.
Accordingly, we do not groan, weep, and suffer in vain. Everything is written and noted down in God’s commentaries. This means that He looks carefully at everything. God does not look at us from afar but is close to us. He counts my fancies and thoughts (cf. Ps. 94:11), my sorrow and griefs, even during the night; and He wants to remunerate me far more richly than I have asked for or understood (cf. Eph. 3:20). This is the source of Paul’s well-known statement (2 Cor. 4:17), which should always be kept in our hearts. What we suffer is exceedingly little and light, since we know that the glow and redemption will be greater than what we can attain by any thoughts or words. Nevertheless, God observes that light and little suffering.
Whose fault, therefore, is it that we are so wretchedly tormented and troubled? Who is to blame for the weakness of faith, hope, and the wickedness of the flesh? O slay me, dear Lord God! Am I worthy of having a God who is so careful that He guards me even during the night, when I am sleeping and dreaming? Is it not sufficient for Him to protect us and direct our steps while we are awake? Beyond this, does He trouble Himself even about our rest and our dreams? This certainly means having a propitious God, who guards us and does not permit a hair to fall from our head or the apple of the eye to drip—a God who surely has a record of every drop that falls from our eyes. If you weep, He has a golden basin or dish and catches the tears! But whose tears does he gather? The tears of sinners. Who gathers them? God, the Creator of all things. This, therefore, should often be reflected on, to awaken faith, hope, and love in us, since we have the Word, the examples, and the proper experience of the boundless goodness of God."
2 comments:
This is very comforting to me. I am going through something extremely difficult and a friend referenced the same Psalm that you did, which is how I stumbled upon your blog. It is very comforting to think of my tears being noticed by God.
I too found these words of Scripture profoundly comforting. I pray that you are comforted by these words from the Psalm and by the Incarnate Word Jesus Christ...God's Blessings to you.
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