Pondering for Thursday, October 28, 2021

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 25

Morning, Psalm 50; Evening, Psalm 103;
Nehemiah  1:1 to 11; Revelation 5:11 to 6:11; Matthew 13:18 to 23:

“When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven:”  (Nehemiah 1:4)

Nehemiah broke down in tears upon hearing about the trouble and shame of those left behind and the destruction of the wall and gates of Jerusalem.  All of it was human on human violence.  He couldn’t bear it.

Weeping is prayer.  From Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21), to Mary Magdalene at the tomb of our Lord Jesus (The Gospel of John 20), and many points in between, like the one we have for today, God’s ears hears tears.

When it comes to crying, it does not matter about one’s faith or even if one has a faith. God has hardwired us to connect with God whenever we cry. Therefore, even if one claims to be an atheist, but whose heart has moved him or her to crying, God is notified and acts in only the way God sees fit.

I have heard it said that real men don’t cry.  That’s Balderdash. If real men have real souls, (and they do), then something emotionally painful will cause their tears to flow.  And the super sensitive ears of God will definitely hear those water droplets flow down his cheeks, regardless of surrounding noise, and respond in ways that only God can.

There is too much sadness all around today.  We have natural disasters, Covid fears and deaths, military threats, and we still have human on human violence and many other sad situations that cause all of us to come to tears as it did to Nehemiah. But God will never abandon us. “Weeping may spend the night, but joy comes in the morning,” (Psalm 30). This is because God’s ears hears tears.

As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John