The Gift of Godly Tears

I thought I would post the manuscript of today's sermon, since it speaks to our current trials. It comes from the 84th Psalm and follows:

I want to talk about a topic today, with which I have become quite familiar of late – crying. I am deviating from 2 Timothy more because I want more people here when we look at the last verses of 2 Timothy 3 than because of limited time this week. It has been a tough week, though, and I have shed more than a few tears. Have you ever heard a sermon about crying? If you were expecting a message about crying, you would probably think that John 11:35, which happens to be the shortest verse in the Bible, would be the text for such a sermon. “Jesus wept.!” That is not the text for today’s sermon – Psalm 84 is. We will get there in just a moment.

I think we would all agree that some tears are what we would call “good tears.” You see them at weddings, when babies are born, at movies that have a sappy, happy ending, times like that. We all know about tears of sorrow too, though, don’t we? Can tears of sorrow ever be beneficial? Of course! It is impossible to have a relationship with Jesus until you acknowledge your sin to him, and tears, though not necessary for salvation, often accompany your confession of Jesus as Lord. But, what about the tears that flow because of broken relationships, painful physical infirmities, lost jobs, or lost loves? Psalm 84 tells us that such tears can be valuable – in fact, tears can be a gift. Now, you may not make this connection as we read through this psalm, but once we look a little closer, you will see how God encourages us in our trials and we, in turn, encourage others. We will read the text in the English Standard Version.

1 How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house, ever singing Your praise!
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of Your anointed!
10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in You.

Did you catch the part about the tears? At first glance, this psalm seems to be only about joy, the joy found in the presence of the Lord! But, rest assured, the psalmist is lamenting a loss, and there is a significant, specific reference to pain and we will spend some time there, but let’s make a few general observations about Psalm 84.

First, the author is most likely a Levite of the family of Korah who worked at the Tabernacle or Temple, depending on when this psalm was written. He was away from Jerusalem, perhaps in exile with King David, if it was written in Tabernacle days. He very much wanted to get back to Jerusalem where the glory of God dwelt at the Tabernacle or the Temple. Longing is written all over this song – longing for something that has been known and has been temporarily lost. God’s blessings, His strength, and His glory overshadow the whole psalm causing it to become a perfect pilgrimage song for pilgrims to sing on their way to Jerusalem. It has been called the Pearl of Psalms. As we work our way through, I think you will understand why.

This psalm opens with poetic love language – “How lovely is Your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts.” The writer is expressing love for God’s house! Now, a love for church is an emotion quite foreign to an unbeliever. But for the one who loves the Lord, church is the place to be. I do hope you feel this way on Sunday mornings!

The translation in verse 2 is not as good as it should be. Here is the problem with the translation on this particular verse: at the end of the verse, “my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God,” should be translated, “my heart and flesh cry out for the living God,” as it is in the NIV. At this point in the pilgrimage, the seeker is not so much joyful as he is desperate to get to Jerusalem where the presence of God would be most keenly felt. Of course God’s presence was everywhere, but in OT days, His presence was most clearly perceived at the Tabernacle in Jerusalem.

Now, certainly in these NT days the Holy Spirit indwells us and we can sense God’s presence everywhere. There is also no question that God meets with believers in a special way who are gathered to worship Him in His house, the church. And, pretty much, we will connect with God at the level of expectation we bring with us to church. Verse 2 is a good model for us.

Verse 3 reminds us that part of the Temple was open, and the psalmist considered the birds that made their homes in the awnings to be blessed. In fact, all who dwell at the house of the Lord are blessed! This is a heart longing for Jerusalem.

In verse 5, the writer reminds me of James Taylor – “In my mind I’m gone to Carolina.” Even though the writer could not be in Jerusalem, he was on his way there in his mind. Verses 6 and 7 are a powerful visualization of the pilgrim’s journey to Jerusalem. On the way to Jerusalem the traveler would pass through the Valley of Baca –---- but, it’s not a literal valley. It could be translated, “The Valley of Weeping.” So, here are the tears I promised at the beginning. And notice what the tears do. We are told in verse 6 that the pilgrim journeying through the Valley of Baca makes it a pool, with rains also filling the well. Then, in verse 7, the disciple is taken from one level of strength to another and he stands before God. In these two verses there is a two-fold gift of tears.

I am going to work backwards and begin in verse 7, which is connected with verse 6. The kind of strengthening referred to here is what we would call Christian growth. It is what happens to a believer as he or she draws closer and closer to God. But this growth, especially this transition from one level to another, does not take place without tears, without pain in our lives.

When we cry or endure pain for the right reasons, our tears are God’s gift to us. Tell me when you grow the most, tell me when your intimacy with God is at its most meaningful levels, tell me when you are the most focused on your relationship with the Lord. Is it not in the Valley of Baca, the valley of weeping? Pain tends to focus our attention. When you are forced to deal with chronic pain – and I am not just talking about physical pain – and you allow God to keep you from a bitter heart, you begin to understand what is really important in life. You discover that intimacy with Jesus is better than any accolades, any possessions, any thrills in any way that this world has to offer. Tears are, indeed, God’s gift to us.

And godly tears are our gift to others. The weeping pilgrim in verse 6 is in a dry, arid land, and he is filling a well with his tears. This well, in turn, becomes a blessing to others, because it is available to refresh the next weary traveler who travels that path. Kind of reminds you of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” There’s a lot of comfort in those two verses! The process is clear – we struggle, God comforts us, we comfort others because we have traveled that road and can attest to God’s sufficiency in trials. Those who have experienced God’s grace in this manner first hand are in a unique position to pass it on to others. It may be that you can help others avoid pain that you endured because of your response to your pain. The gift of godly tears.

In verse 8, the writer acknowledges that though he cannot get to Jerusalem, God will still hear his prayers. That may not seem like a big deal to you, but Jerusalem represented God’s blessings. The psalmist, for whatever reason, was away from Jerusalem and unable to get back. It was quite a statement of faith to call God to listen to his prayers in such circumstances. Having said such, he transitions – we know so, because of Selah.

In verse 9, the writer prays for the king – maybe King David, maybe another king. It appears this king is in some sort of exile, and this prayer is for him, the one who represents God’s authority on the nation. The nation prays for him. You may not see this readily in verse 9, but it is there, and is akin to Jeremiah 22:10: “Weep not for him who is dead, nor grieve for him, but weep bitterly for him who goes away (into exile), for he shall return no more to see his native land.” In that spirit, the psalmist is praying for the leader of the land – a good example for us.

Armed with fresh perspective, the psalmist restates his love for God’s house, representing the blessings of God. Oh, how much better to be in the most menial place in God’s house than to be in the finest homes in the land when God is not acknowledged nor considered. Why? Because God provides – through His sun – and protects – through His shield. Our only hope, in this life or the next, is found in the Lord. Those who walk with Him, those who even endure the tears of Baca will find God’s favor and honor on their lives.

And, so the conclusion – blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, even when circumstances would dictate confusion and despair. The true servant trusts the Lord always, even in the midst of pain.