The Psalms is the outcry of a man’s heart to God. This is why the Psalms is one of the most read portions of the scripture, while other scriptures carry God’s voice, instructions and principles to man, the Psalms is the expression of the human desire, fears, and emotions to God. Author Gene Taylor wrote about the Psalms and said, “While most of the Bible is God’s voice calling to His creatures, the book of Psalms is mankind's voice raised to the lord as the various writers express their deep personal feelings, desires, and needs, with the Spirit of God helping them to strike a chord with the heart of God”. This is why we all connect with this book, it is spiritual, prayerful, vulnerable, powerful, and emotional and indeed the book of Psalms is a book written in tears!
Is there a place for tears, weeping in our Christian service? What has tears got to do with God? What has our emotions got to do with receiving answers in prayers? First, there are many of us on one divide of spirituality who believes our tears are enough to move God. There is that popular saying among my people which expresses the idea that they ‘will cry on top of God’s neck’. That’s colloquium that is meant to suggest that when God sees tears he will answer without a care! Yet there are those on the other divide who believes in the power of faith! Faith is all it will take, tears in the eyes of a believer express weakness, a believer ought to be strong in the Lord, God is not moved by our tears and all others that suggest there is no room for emotions in our spiritual walk with God, especially our prayer life! Both sides of the divide are right in their own stance but the word of God provides a balanced perspective, and from the book of Psalms we can learn the connection between our spirituality and the expression of our emotion. But first, we will look at scriptures, other scriptures, and see the place of tears
GOD WILL NOT DESPISE OUR EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS IN PRAYERS
In Ps. 51:17, the Bible tells us, ‘the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise’ (KJV). God will not ignore our emotional travails and groanings. The Psalmist was writing from experience as we will see in the latter part of this article.
GOD IS SERVED BY OUR EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS
Paul said in Acts 20:10, ‘Serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears…’ (NKJV). Further in Acts 20:31 Paul wrote – ‘…for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night or day with tears’ (NKJV).
And we see a practical demonstration of this service when in the book of Luke, the woman with the Alabaster oil came and washed Jesus feet with oil and with her tears. It was recorded in scriptures, ‘And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment’ (Luke 7:38). And when the disciples and hypocritical Pharisees rose in criticisms Jesus rebuked and praised how this woman has washed his feet and declared her sins forgiven because of that singular act. What she did back then is still been read and praised today!
Read full message here THE PRAYERS OF DAVID: WHEN TEARS ARE PRAYERS
Is there a place for tears, weeping in our Christian service? What has tears got to do with God? What has our emotions got to do with receiving answers in prayers? First, there are many of us on one divide of spirituality who believes our tears are enough to move God. There is that popular saying among my people which expresses the idea that they ‘will cry on top of God’s neck’. That’s colloquium that is meant to suggest that when God sees tears he will answer without a care! Yet there are those on the other divide who believes in the power of faith! Faith is all it will take, tears in the eyes of a believer express weakness, a believer ought to be strong in the Lord, God is not moved by our tears and all others that suggest there is no room for emotions in our spiritual walk with God, especially our prayer life! Both sides of the divide are right in their own stance but the word of God provides a balanced perspective, and from the book of Psalms we can learn the connection between our spirituality and the expression of our emotion. But first, we will look at scriptures, other scriptures, and see the place of tears
GOD WILL NOT DESPISE OUR EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS IN PRAYERS
In Ps. 51:17, the Bible tells us, ‘the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise’ (KJV). God will not ignore our emotional travails and groanings. The Psalmist was writing from experience as we will see in the latter part of this article.
GOD IS SERVED BY OUR EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS
Paul said in Acts 20:10, ‘Serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears…’ (NKJV). Further in Acts 20:31 Paul wrote – ‘…for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night or day with tears’ (NKJV).
And we see a practical demonstration of this service when in the book of Luke, the woman with the Alabaster oil came and washed Jesus feet with oil and with her tears. It was recorded in scriptures, ‘And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment’ (Luke 7:38). And when the disciples and hypocritical Pharisees rose in criticisms Jesus rebuked and praised how this woman has washed his feet and declared her sins forgiven because of that singular act. What she did back then is still been read and praised today!
Read full message here THE PRAYERS OF DAVID: WHEN TEARS ARE PRAYERS
