God's Tears

As is common in sunny cities in this neck of the woods, water ran out this morning. The customary gurgle in the pipes was followed within the hour by the familiar smell common to hot cement buildings where the septic is not functional. Electricity was short too, making the flashlight in the bathroom handy, passed off between the eight people sharing it. Par for the course, it was soon forgotten as we stepped eagerly into the bright morning, headed to the weekly gathering of our Family in Christ! Some travel for hours to get here. The fellowship is truly more precious than the scarce water. It was interesting that God spoke to one brother, reminding him of a verse that speaks of "dry valleys being filled with water." As he was pondering it, a sister came up and said that 2 Kings 3:16 had been laid on her heart. Of course this was the verse he'd been looking for. It struck a chord in all of us and led one of us to share the burden we'd felt for Psalm 84, and how walking through the Valley of Weeping is part of being set on pilgrimage - and that - just as in 2 Kings - pools of refreshing springs are created. Don't you know, another sister had been burdened with the term "Valley of Weeping" - and was trying to find the reference when we spoke about Psalm 84. She was sensing that God wanted us all to know that our weeping with Him about those things that grieve His heart is a partnership that creates these springs. Tears are a unique gift we may not measure quite the same as God does. That's something to ponder!

At our Fellowship meal after words I was talking with two sisters who were friends with one of the men who was murdered in the last two years. He was shot in broad daylight outside his office for speaking truth. He was of one of the minority people groups here; a group that have experienced severe persecution. He had spoken up for peace, for talking things through, for building relationships, and being honest about the past. It was easiest for them to get rid of him. His widow and daughters chose to publicly forgive the murderer ... and the wide range of public figures who were implicated in the event. What I didn't know is that if you go to the spot where he landed, face down, on the pavement, the blood stain has not washed off. And it's been almost two years. In this culture this fact has perhaps spoken louder than most people like to hear.

Rain is not enough to wash it clean, nor the street sweepers. Not even God's tears, and the tears of his people as He cries through them will wash the blood off the land. But tears have a way of filling pools of refreshing - for those willing to accept that they need it.