Unstoppable Tears

I find myself crying at unpredictable moments.

It’s bad enough when I’m alone, but when I cry around other people, I feel weak and embarrassed. I feel like I should explain myself, but most of the time I can’t.

I just feel unbearably sad and frustrated.

It’s not unusual to experience deep feelings of sorrow, anguish, or other emotions during a crisis.

Expressing these emotions, including crying, can be a healthy part of coping with and recovering from everything that is happening. And because of God’s great love for us, we don’t have to keep those feelings to ourselves; we can safely share our every heartache with God.

God is on the side of those who suffer. We can trust him to draw near when we pour out the pain in our hearts to him.

When we’re upset, God feels our pain.

When we grieve, God grieves with us.

No calamity or emotional distress is beyond the reach of his redeeming love.

The hearts of the people
cry out to the Lord.
You walls of Daughter Zion,
let your tears flow like a river
day and night;
give yourself no relief,
your eyes no rest.
Arise, cry out in the night,
as the watches of the night begin;
pour out your heart like water
in the presence of the Lord.

My eyes will flow unceasingly,
without relief,
until the Lord looks down
from heaven and sees.

I called on your name, Lord,
from the depths of the pit.
You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears
to my cry for relief.”
You came near when I called you,
and you said, “Do not fear.”
Lamentations 2:18–19; 3:49–50, 55–57

God is on the side of those who suffer. We can trust him to draw near when we pour out the pain in our hearts to him.

What is your prayer of thanksgiving for God’s presence in the midst of your pain?