Dear ones in Christ,
Our God hears our prayers and supplications. He answers and rewards those who call upon him truly. Some things in our lives get struck often. Even something good happens in our lives, but we are not able to enjoy that. Those things slip away from our hands very soon. Even some blessings which we want to inherit for a long time gets delayed. Even though we try a lot we have to see the hand of God working for us. God has to do things for us. During such situations if we follow the example and pray the way Jesus prayed, it is sure that our prayers will be answered. In Hebrews 5:7 we read, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared”.
There might not be use of praying repeatedly and continuously. But there is sure reward for the prayers we pray with tears. So we should have the habit of praying with tears. We should shed tears for the perishing souls. We should pray with tears for the unrepentant son. We should pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is our model. He prayed according to the will of the Father. The reason behind the Father hearing His prayers immediately is that he prayed with strong crying and tears. The tears show the truthfulness in the prayer. David drenched his bed with tears. He asked God to keep his tears in account.
When Jesus walked in the streets of Jerusalem carrying the cross, the women cried and lamented. Jesus said, cry not for me, but cry for yourself and your children. Just as we bring up the plant by water, we should bring up our children through tears.
Why tearful prayer is needed?
Tearful prayers are needed for the Gospel work:
Psalms 126:5, 6 says, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” He who carries the seeds is the one who preaches the Gospel, he should go with tears. Tearful prayers are needed. Then go and preach the gospel. We need the burden, eagerness and thirst. And these should turn into tears. If the cloud should turn into rain, the wind should blow upon the cloud. Just like that when the love of God fills us, the tear comes out. The tears will flow like a river. And the people will repent.
Tearful prayer is needed for the people who are getting spoiled :
In Isaiah 22:4, we read, “Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour
not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people”. We should pray
with tears for the salvation of the daughter of Zion. We should pray for the children who have gone astray. We should pray for the people who are in bondages and imprisoned. Prophet Isaiah foresaw the exile of the people of Israel and prophesied. But Prophet Jeremiah lamented and shed tears for Israel after they were taken captive. He wrote the book of Lamentation.
In Isaiah 13:6, 7, we read, “Howl ye; for the day of the3 Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all the hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt”. In Jeremiah 13:17 we read, “But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the Lord’s flock is carried away captive”.
In Jeremiah 14:17, we read, “Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a grievous blow”.
Tearful prayer is needed for the destruction which is going to come upon Jerusalem:
In Luke 19:41-44, we read, “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation ”.
Jesus wept for Jerusalem. We should pray for our city and bind the works of Satan in the city and pray for the churches to rise up. In many cities many churches were built by the missionaries who came in the early days. In every city people should escape from such Satan’s traps. For this tearful prayer is needed.
We should pray with tears for the churches:
In Acts 20:19, 31, Apostle Paul says, “Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears”.
We should pray with tears for the wall to be built:
In Nehemiah 1:4, we can see Nehemiah praying, “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven”, then Nehemiah summoned the people with burden saying the walls are broken, and the doors are burnt, so come let us rise up and build. And he finished the work in 52 days. (Nehemiah 6:15)
The walls are broken in every family. And this wall should be rebuilt in every family. Family prayer, personal prayer, meditation, and safety is broken. We should cry for that, pray for that. And we should mend the broken places.
Pray for the worldly lusts and abominations to be put away:
In Ezra 9:14, 15, it is written, “Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? Wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should not be no remnant not escaping?”, And in Ezra 10:1 we see, Ezra prayed and confessed weeping and casting himself before the house of God.
In Ezra 9: 1-3, we read, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations…. As the people Israel mingled with the people of the lands, Ezra rent his garment and the mantle, and plucked off the hair on his head and of his beard, and sat down astonied”.
Pray with tears to be true and of perfect heart:
In 2 Kings 20:3, we read, “I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in thruth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore”. And God said, “I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee. And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will defend this city for my servant David’s sake”.
My dear friends! Let us plead before God with tears so that He might hear our prayers and supplications. Let us drench His feet with our tears! Let us pray with strong crying and tears for the salvation of the people, for the imprisoned ones, for the revival of the churches, for the believers to live a holy life, and might be delivered from the worldly ostentation! God will be victorious gloriously. And the army of Satan will be destroyed. Hallelujah!
