Devotion Corner

Psalm 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

This psalm was written in the middle of David’s fleeing to the pagan land of the Philistines. The ache of being away from his blessed homeland is evident in the tear-filled words. In his lament, David goes to the Lord in unreserved prayers of pleading. He prays that his tears are bottled by the Lord, and that all tears spent in sadness and sorrow are recorded by God in His book.

It was common practice in ancient Israel, as confirmed by archaeological excavations, for small wineskins to be used to collect and thus bottle the tears cried in times of sadness. It is quite likely that this is what the sinful woman used in Luke 7:38, to wash the feet of Christ Jesus. This was done to signify her true repentance of her sins, and the seeking of His forgiveness. 

This plea of David in his sadness some 3000 years ago, has been recorded so that we might have hope when we face such painful times. We can go to God and trust that no tear spent in open pleading towards Him, no cry of repentance will ever go unnoticed by His loving and gracious ear. He records all sufferings and tears spent in service of Him, and moves through His Word to assure us, that every lonely tear is known to Him. Thus, by His Word we are comforted. We are comforted that every wound felt, He knows intimately, and that He will heal them all by His own pierced hand.

This assurance we have through the finished work of the Cross. Where the spear thrust into Christ’s side produced a stream of blood and water to flow forth. That water could act as a symbol. A symbol of the tears spent in anguish over the sufferings endured by all those who believe on Him as their Saviour and Redeemer. It could symbolise that in His moment of death, the ache of the sins of the world He carried at that moment, and the tears caused by it, was released from the fullness of His heart. 

In that release, death, sin and sorrow was vanquished, and the peace of God could be known to us through His victory at Calvary. That victory being recorded in the Holy Bible, the book of God. All so that we can be comforted in knowing all tears will be wiped away by those same hands that were nailed to the tree, for you and I. Amen.