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#7.
"Jesus wept" (John 11: 35).
p. 191
It would not be possible for the Lord to avoid tears, and at the same time to enter into
the experiences of those who are flesh and blood, for the pilgrim's path leads through the
valley of Baca (Heb. 5: 7). There is blessed consolation however for the weeper in the
words:--
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30: 5).
This is our stay as with tears we press on; the tears are but for the night. A day is
coming when "God shall wipe away all tears" (Rev. 21: 4).
Service cannot be faithfully carried on without tears. "Serving the Lord . . . . . with
many tears" (Acts 20: 19 and 31), expressed the active devotion of the great apostle.
"Much love" cannot be expressed without the price of tears (Luke 7: 36-50); but
whether the strenuous devotion of a Paul, or the quieter devotion of the woman who was
a sinner, it remains true that "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy" (Psalm 126: 5).
When therefore the tears will come, let us remember that they unite us with a holy
fellowship. The Lord Himself, the sweet singer of Israel, Jeremiah the prophet, Paul the
apostle, the woman who loved much, form a part of that goodly company, as do the great
multitude whom no man could number, that pass through the tribulation and stand,
overcomers, before the Lord (Rev. 7: 17).
Weeping is the portion of the believer while absent from the Lord (John 16: 20), but
in the presence of the Lord there is fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore.
"Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning" (Psalm 30: 5).