In our previous meditation we noted that God sees and treasures the tears that we shed. David, the most loved of Israel’s kings, is described by God in the Bible as ‘a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will’, Acts chapter 13 verse 22. He was a fearless shepherd, the slayer of Goliath, a Philistine giant, and a mighty warrior; nevertheless, he was also a man with a tender heart for his people, even if they opposed him, and he shed many tears for them,

In this meditation we will focus on David’s tears.

Suggested reading: PSALM 56 (written by David)

At the time he wrote this Psalm, David was at one of the lowest points in his life. He had momentarily lost sight of the God who had delivered him from the lion and the bear in his days as a shepherd. He had fled to a place called Gath, which was in enemy Philistine territory, in order to escape from the jealous anger of King Saul against him. Sadly, this brave future king of Israel had become a fugitive in the Judean desert; indeed, he even feigned madness to make himself appear harmless and to escape detection by his enemies. He was lonely and vulnerable and, no doubt, shed many tears. However, in the midst of his sorrow and tears, he was able to turn to God and say:

• ‘In God I have put my trust; I will not fear’, verse 4
• ‘You number my wanderings’, verse 8 – God knows just where we are when we go astray.
• ‘PUT MY TEARS INTO YOUR BOTTLE’, verse 8 – what lovely imagery! God has a bottle into which out tears flow and are treasured forever.
• ‘Are they not in Your book?’, verse 8 – the tears of God’s people are recorded in heaven – He remembers them all.

Interestingly, archaeologists have unearthed ‘tear bottles’ in which mourners collected their tears and deposited them at gravesites, but there are no records of those who shed the tears. What a contrast to GOD’S BOTTLE – EVERY TEAR OF EVERY DISTRESSED BELIEVER IS RETAINED IN HIS BOTTLE FOR ETERNITY! How many of your tears are in His bottle?