Tears in a Bottle

Our Tears Are God's Reminder That He Cares

SYNOPSIS: What is it that is making you cry today? A fractured relationship that’s breaking your heart? A hope that has been dashed or a dream that has died? It is a failed family or a personal sin or the consequences of a past mistake that continues to haunt you? What is it that is making you feel such deep sadness? Entrust those tears to God, and let the very next one that fills your eyes and spills down your cheek be a reminder that your tears never really just dry up and fade into a painful memory, they go right into the bottle of that One who truly cares!

The tears you cry

MOMENTS WITH GOD // CLAIM: Psalm 56:8

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book

Aren’t tears a mysterious part of what it means to be human? It is strange that we have the capacity to cry—to expel water from our eyes when we are sad. It seems to serve no real purpose—although science can explain the physiological “why” and mental health experts can explain the psychological “why”.

That still leaves the question of “why” tears—why were we created with that capacity?

Perhaps this psalm provides a clue. Maybe they are to remind us that God cares about the things that make us sad enough to shed tears. So much does he bear our sorrow that he collects our tears in a bottle, as the New Living Translation says, or as other versions put it, “he records them in his ledger.” In other words, God takes note—implying that he is not only aware of our sadness, but he will not forget it.

What is it that is making you cry today? A heart broken by a fractured relationship? A dashed hope or the death of a dream? A failed family? A personal sin? The consequences of a past mistake that continues to haunt you? What is it that you feel such deep sadness over?

It is likely that no one truly knows the depth of what you are feeling right now. Maybe no one will ever see those tears that have rolled down your cheek—and the intense hurt that caused them. Even if they do see your tears, how sad it is that long before your pain is healed, people will forget and move on.

But there is One who sees…and One who cares…and One who never forgets…and One who will never move on! And He wants you to know that, my friend. And that One, your Heavenly Father, simply asks you to take comfort in His compassion for you:

The Lord is like a father to his children,
Tender and compassionate to those who fear him. (Psalm 103:13)

And that compassionate, loving Heavenly Father likewise asks you to place your trust in him. In fact, so strongly does he desire your trust, that he extends the invitation twice in Psalm 56 just to make sure you really know his heart for you:

In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:4,10-11)

I hope you will do that. Entrust those tears to God. And let the very next tear that fills your eyes and spills down your cheek be a reminder that your tears never really just dry up and fade into a painful memory, they go right into the bottle of that One who truly cares!

TAKE A MOMENT: What is it that is making you cry today? A heart broken by a fractured relationship? A dashed hope or the death of a dream? A failed family? A personal sin? The consequences of a past mistake that continues to haunt you? What is it that you feel such deep sadness over? Why no other human being may know how deeply you feel, or if they do know, they may not care all that much, just remember, there is One who is collecting those tears as you lift your brokenness to him.

What Even God Can’t Do

Clue: It Has To Do With You

SYNOPSIS: No human being wants to be forgettable. No kid ever grows up in hopes of living an anonymous life, and after having offered a lukewarm existence to this world, says, “bury me in an unmarked grave.” Of course not! Everyone wants to be remembered; God has wired that into our DNA.  The good news is, God wants to convince you that to him, you are unforgettable. And he sent his Son to die on a cross just to make sure you never forget that.

Project 52—Memorize:
Isaiah 49:15-16

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hand; your walls are ever before me.”

There is something that even God can’t do: Forget you.

And that’s a good thing since no human being wants to be forgettable. No kid ever grows up in hopes of living an anonymous life, and after having offered a lukewarm existence to this world, says, “bury me in an unmarked grave.” Of course not! Everyone wants to be remembered; God has wired that into our DNA.

Perhaps the reason he made us that way was to cause us to crave his attention. In human relationships, being an attention-getter is usually, at worst, a bad thing, and at best, a very annoying trait, but with God, craving attention is actually okay, since he made us for that.

It is stunning how much the Bible speaks of God remembering his people, especially at times when they think he may have forgotten them. If you want to really be encouraged that God won’t forget you, consider the following:

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” (Genesis 8:1)

“So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.” (Genesis 19:29)

“Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.” (Genesis 30:22)

“Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.” (Exodus 6:5)

“Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.”  (I Samuel 1:19)

“Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.”  (Psalm 112:6)

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  (Hebrews 13:5)

Get the picture? Obviously, God wants to convince you that to him, you are unforgettable. And he sent his Son to die on a cross just to make sure you never forget that.

Yes, you are someone God can’t forget. I hope you will always remember that!

 “God does not forget us and we should not forget Him!” ~Mark Engler

Reflect and Apply: Take a moment to consider God’s promise through Isaiah. Now every morning this week, offer a prayer of thanksgiving back to God for his promise to keep you as unforgettable in his eyes.

Altar of Remembrance

Identify Your Defining Moments with God

We don’t build altars anymore, rightly so. Under the new covenant, established through Christ’s sacrificial blood, the altar of God is now our heart. Yet there are significant events in our spiritual journey — breakthroughs into the blessings of God so life-altering we label them “defining moments” — that require a memorial of remembrance, or what we might call an “altar.” At times, establishing such a memorial at which we can stop to give praise to God and to remember his covenant is an appropriate thing, perhaps even a needful act of faith. Such an “altar” will serve to remind us of God’s greatness and faithfulness as we journey forward to the next challenge.

The Journey// Focus: Genesis 46:1-4

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!” Jacob answered, “Here I am,”  God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

Good news had flooded Jacob’s old, weary soul, worn thin by years of dashed hopes and dead dreams, like a flowing stream in the parched desert. Joseph, the son he favored, was alive after all these year of thinking he had been killed by a wild animal. And the news of Joseph’s incredible journey from the pit to the palace had revived the old patriarch’s heart:

When his sons told Jacob that Joseph was alive in Egypt, and everything he had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back to Egypt, the Jacob’s spirit revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” (Genesis 45:27-28)

As Jacob began the journey from Canaan to Egypt to see his son and to relocate his clan in the riches of Goshen during the time of famine, one of the first things he did was to build an altar and offer sacrifices to the Sovereign God who had revived his dreams by remembering the covenant the Almighty had sworn to his grandfather Abraham, his father Isaac, and to him. And as he sacrificed, the Lord spoke, calling him by name and recounting the promises of the covenant that he would fulfill as the clan of Israel lived in the land of Egypt.

We don’t build altars much anymore, and rightly so. Under the new covenant, established through the blood of Jesus, the altar of God is now our heart. Yet there are significant events in our spiritual journey, breakthroughs into the blessings of God so important that we would label them “defining moments”, that require an altar. At times, building a memorial at which we can stop to give praise to God and to remember his covenant, is an appropriate thing—perhaps even a needful act of faith. There are times along the way that establishing a memorial of remembrance will serve to remind us of the greatness and faithfulness of God as we journey forward to the next challenge.

These physical symbols that we choose to jog our memory are powerful. Every time we look at that sacred symbol, or touch it and consider what it represents, we call to mind the reality of God’s glorious presence and his unmerited intervention on our behalf.

God often used symbols in the Old Testament. So to, frequently in the Revelation, symbols are provided to help us grasp the glories of the eternal world where God dwells, physical representations of his invisible and uncontainable presence. These symbols provide a way for God’s people to worshipfully enter into God’s presence without being completely consumed or totally overwhelmed by God’s holiness. In other words, spiritual symbols allow finite people to momentarily grasp the infinite.

Have you ever noticed how small children at an ocean beach will run away from the crashing waves in absolute terror. Why? They are overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude and brutal force of something incomprehensible. But later they will dig a hole in the sand and fill it with a bucket of that very same seawater that made up the monstrous wave. Then they will scoop a handful of that water and let it drip through their fingers back into the hole.

What are they doing? They are partaking in the magnificence of the ocean without being overwhelmed by it.

That’s the benefit of a symbol. It allows finite beings to comprehend the infinite—if but for a moment. An altar or remembrance allows you to call to mind the incomprehensible greatness of Almighty God and his covenant faithfulness in the past without being complete undone by it. I am not suggesting that you go crazy with this, that you turn your prayer closet into a holy shrine full of religious artifacts and icons—that can obviously get way out of hand. But sometimes we just need a little help with remembering that since God is covenantally faithful, that what he has done in the past for us, like he did for the saints of old, he will do for us today, and we can count on him to do again and again in the future.

God is faithful. He will fulfill his promises. Always. Do what you need to do to remind yourself of that. Perhaps an altar of remembrance would be the appropriate thing for you to erect.

Going Deeper: Think of a defining moment you have experienced with God. What can you do, literally and physically, to symbolize that moment in a way that will be a daily reminder of the greatness of a God who has promised to watch over and provide for you?

God’s Unseen But Unceasing Work On Your Behalf

He Won't Forget You

If you are feeling a little forgotten by God, thank God you’re wrong! The story of God remembering Noah’s family in the ark is an eternal reminder that God will remember you, too. And like Noah’s family, God will fulfill every single one of his promises to you at the proper time!

The Journey // Focus: Genesis 8:1, 20-21

“But God remembered Noah…Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and there he sacrificed…And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of Noah’s sacrifice.”

“But God remembered Noah…” And God remembers you, too! He never forgets his people. They are always before him, and his work on their behalf, while unseen, is unceasing.

I’m sure at times during Noah’s months of darkness and dankness in the Ark, he and his family wondered if God had shut them up in the ship and then shut them out of his memory as he got on to his many other duties of managing the universe. But God is faithful—he just can’t help himself. Fundamental to whom he is, God remembers the work of his hand, and he is faithful to finish the task at hand.

Isaiah 49:15-16 reminds us, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

God can’t forget!

If you are reading these words today and feeling a little forgotten by God, thank God you’re wrong! Genesis 8:1 is an eternal reminder that God will remember you, too, and will fulfill every single one of his promises to you at the proper time! Psalm 138:8 promises, “God will perfect everything that concerns you.”

So trust! And as an act of trust, do what Noah did (Genesis 8:20) in response: build an altar of remembrance to the faithfulness of God. Whatever that altar looks like for you, erect a reminder in your life of the unceasing work of the unseen God on your behalf.

And like he was with Noah, I am quite sure God will be pleased with your act of trust as well.

Going Deeper: What can you do as an act of remembrance of God’s unceasing work in your life? Adopt a symbol, write out a prayer and post it where you can see it every day, paint a picture—do something that reminds you that God never forgets!

God Never Forgets

He May Be Slow, But He Is Never Late

God keeps all of his promises. He can’t help himself. Fulfilling them is just his nature. He had promised through the prophets a redeemer for Israel hundreds of years before it happened, but it happened. 400 years of silence ensued between the last prophet Malachi’s messianic oracles until the time the angel Gabriel revealed God’s redemptive plan to Zechariah, but it happened. He hasn’t forgotten you either. While his promise to you may be slow in coming, it won’t be late. In God’s time, it will happen!

Enduring Truth // Focus: Luke 1:67-68

Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.”

Over the years the church has given Zechariah’s song the title, “The Benedictus,” or “The Blessing.” The lyrics of this brief song, which we read in Luke 1:67-79, were sung by one of the proudest and oldest first-time fathers of all time. But more than being just a happy little ditty from a happy old daddy, Zechariah proclaims two timeless and timely truths about God’s character that you and I probably need to hear again today.

First, we are reminded that God never breaks a promise! John’s birth was living proof of God’s faithfulness. In His song, Zechariah belts out to all who will listen, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (Luke 1:68)

God keeps his promises—every one of them. He can’t help himself; it is just his nature. He had promised through the prophets a redeemer for Israel hundreds of years before, and 400 silent years had passed since the last prophet Malachi had uttered the oracles of God until the time the angel Gabriel revealed God’s plan to Zechariah. Though God’s promise had been ever so slow in coming, it was nonetheless fulfilled.

Zechariah’s song reminds us that even though God may be slow, he is never late!

Second, God never forgets. Zechariah’s name meant “God remembers.” And in his song, Zechariah exploded with the joyful realization that God does remember: “God has remembered his oath…” (Luke 1:72-73)

Zechariah must have been discouraged. He was a priest of a nation that had turned its back on God. He and Elizabeth, whose name meant “the promise of God,” had been faithful to God all their lives—they lived up to the meaning of their names. Yet God had not blessed them with a son, and wayward Israel continued to be oppressed by its pagan enemies.

But Zechariah clung to this truth: Our Creator remembers! God knows who we are, where we are, and what we need. He remembers us. He remembers his promises, and God graciously acts at the proper time.

Isaiah 49:15-16 reminds us, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

God can’t forget!

If you are reading these words today and feeling a little forgotten by God, thank God you’re wrong! Zechariah reminds you from first-hand experience through his song that God remembers you and will fulfill every single one of his promises to you at the proper time!

So be faithful!

Thrive: Take a moment to thank the Lord for his unfailing faithfulness. He remembers his promises to you and he will fulfill them all. Rejoice in him today, then offer your life faithfully back to him and his purposes.

What Even God Can’t Do

Reflect:
Isaiah 49:15-16

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hand; your walls are ever before me.”

There is something that even God can’t do: Forget you.

And that’s a good thing since no human being wants to be forgettable. No kid ever grows up in hopes of living an anonymous life, and after having offered a lukewarm existence to this world, says, “bury me in an unmarked grave.” Of course not! Everyone wants to be remembered; God has wired that into our DNA.

Perhaps the reason he made us that way was to cause us to crave his attention. In human relationships, being an attention-getter is usually, at worst, a bad thing, and at best, a very annoying trait, but with God, craving attention is actually okay, since he made us for that.

It is stunning how much the Bible speaks of God remembering his people, especially at times when they think he may have forgotten them. If you want to really be encouraged that God won’t forget you, consider the following:

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.” (Genesis 8:1)

“So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.” (Genesis 19:29)

“Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.” (Genesis 30:22)

“Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.” (Exodus 6:5)

“Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah lay with Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.” (I Samuel 1:19)

“Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.” (Psalm 112:6)

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

Get the picture? Obviously, God wants to convince you that to him, you are unforgettable. And he sent his Son to die on a cross just to make sure you never forget that.

Yes, you are someone God can’t forget. I hope you will always remember that!

“God does not forget us and we should not forget Him!” ~Mark Engler

Reflect and Apply: Take a moment to consider God’s promise through Isaiah. Now every morning this week, offer a prayer of thanksgiving back to God for his promise to keep you as unforgettable in his eyes.

God Never Forgets

Reflect:
Luke 1:1-80

“Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.’” ~Luke 1:67-68

Over the years the church has given Zechariah’s song the title, “The Benedictus,” or “The Blessing.” The lyrics of this brief song, which we read in Luke1:67-79, were sung by one of the proudest and oldest first time fathers of all time. But more than being just a happy little diddy from a happy old daddy, Zechariah verbalizes two timeless and timely truths about God’s character that you and I probably need to hear again today.

First, we are reminded that God never breaks a promise! John’s birth was living proof of God’s faithfulness. In His song, Zechariah belts out to all who will listen, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (Luke 1:68)

God keeps his promises—every one of them. He can’t help himself; it is just his nature. He had promised through the prophets a redeemer for Israel hundreds of year before, and 400 silent years had passed since the last prophet Malachi had uttered the oracles of God until the time the angel Gabriel revealed God’s plan to Zechariah. Though God’s promise had been ever so slow in coming, it was nonetheless fulfilled.

Zechariah’s song reminds us that even though God may be slow, he is never late!

Second, God never forgets. “Zechariah’s” name meant “God remembers.” And in his song Zechariah exploded with the joyful realization that God does remember: “God has remembered his oath…” (Luke 1:72-73)

Zechariah must have been discouraged. He was a priest of a nation that had turned its back on God. He and Elizabeth, whose name meant “the promise of God,” had been faithful to God all their lives—they lived up to the meaning of their names. Yet God had not blessed them with a son, and wayward Israel continued to be oppressed by its pagan enemies.

But Zechariah clung to this truth: Our Creator remembers! God knows who we are, where we are and what we need. He remembers us. He remembers his promises, and God graciously acts at the proper time.

Isaiah 49:15-16 reminds us, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

God can’t forget!

If you are reading these words today and feeling a little forgotten by God, thank God you’re wrong! Zechariah reminds you from first hand experience through his song that God remembers you and will fulfill every single one of his promises to you at the proper time!

So be faithful!

“God often gives in one brief moment that which He has for a long time denied.” ~Thomas A` Kempis

Reflect and Apply: Take a moment to thank the Lord for his unfailing faithfulness. He remembers his promises to you and he will fulfill them all. Rejoice in him today, then offer your life faithfully back to him and his purposes.