By Emilie Gruben.
The subject of physical strength is not really one that we see as “influenced” by whether or not the wielder is of sound Christian faith, or an agnostic or heretic, alike. Our faith is, and should be, apparent in most places of our lives. Interests, livelihoods, relationships, political values, etc. But our hope in God doesn’t really influence how many pounds we can carry, or how many miles we can run. However, let it not be said that our physical abilities are not blessings from God. Passages and verses remind us that the Lord is our physical strength, at times. Beautifully written, like Is. 40:28-31, we read:
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
Our God is our physical strength. He equips us for every need, in ways that we sometimes don’t see or understand. Pushing ourselves to step up to the trial that He presents before us, if often a thing we recognize. To not currently see ourselves as “capable” in a time of affliction, and to trust God with our weakness. Phil. 4:13, so famously reads “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
God is a part of every moment in our lives. Without Him, we have no life. None worth living. He is our physical strength. But what of our mental strength? Our emotional endurance in trials? Our bodies can only handle so much emotional pain before we experience a burning in our throats. Tears beg to be released-just to be acknowledged. Is this a sin? Does crying make you weak, or any less of a believer than other Christian brethren? I don’t think so. There are many reasons why I do not think so, but here are the main three.
1. “Jesus wept.” John 11:35. The shortest verse in the Bible, and perhaps one of the most powerful. Lazarus had died. Jesus had been led to the tomb, and those gathered all lamented the death. The Jews saw the Son of God crying, and said “See how He loved him!” The people who surrounded Him did not wonder why such an emotion could be felt by Christ, but why He had not spared Himself from it. Why had Christ not saved Lazurus from death, and then Himself from the pain? We see this answer in verses 40-42. “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?’ Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.’”
From the beginning of time, The Trinity knew what was to come. How and when sin would occur, and what grace would be given after its entrance to the world. From then on, Jesus knew the very moment that Lazarus would fall ill, and that he would die. But to prove Himself as the Son of God, following the Will and plan of the Father, He knew that He must suffer, first, in order to save. In this way, I see that crying is not a sin. God nor His Son could do no sin, and yet He cried. But in the way that good (Lazarus being raised from the dead, and people believing in Christ) came from bad (death and sorrow), that the Lord used trials for His glory. Tears are not a weakness or sin, but an expression made by God, with purpose.
2. The Psalms. Written by many authors, the Psalms hold wisdom and direction, as well as praises for blessings and requests for deliverance. Many Psalms tell of the highs and lows of a Christian life. Some written by David tell of his hardships in which he flees from people who wish to do him harm. Psalm 142 begs the Lord to deliver the author, David, from persecution while in hiding. Verses 1-3 read: “I cry out to the Lord with my voice; With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, Then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk They have secretly set a snare for me.”
Like in our last point, we see that David acknowledges the omniscience of God. He is aware that the Lord knew of his path, and the way that it would go. He admits that he is at an end of courage, in need of rescue. He declares his complaint and trouble. Many passages follow in this manner-many more urgent than the last. Yet, we do not view these verses as “complaint-filled,” really. When reading Psalms, we are encouraged by how faithful the authors are. In their desperation, they cry out to God. You hear of their longing, sadness, and hope that He will deliver them. In this way, I believe that it is not a sin or spiritual weakness to reach out to God in your time of need. To sob in the assurance that He will preserve you, fully, despite your pain. That no oppressor will have the means to truly harm you, if you are in Christ.
3. We were created with thought and reason; with purpose and meaning. Our bodies were created by the same artist that formed the heavens and the earth. The complexities that we cannot comprehend forge together to make our bodies that the Lord, Himself, brought into existence. Gen. 1:27-28. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”
We were made in the image of God. The very features that we have, formed to honor the Master of the Universe. Our bodies hold the ability to breathe and shout, run and leap, sing and cry. If we were not meant to be able to cry, would the Lord not have given our bodies the ability to do so? The nerves and signals from the brain, telling the body to release amounts of stress, whether good or negative? The changes that happened to our bodies after the fall remains somewhat of a mystery. Would they have functioned the same, before sin? The way that bruises are extraordinarily formed. The way that bones break and then heal. Such miraculous planning during creation to form healing and good from sin and decay. I believe that even after The Fall, and sin entered into the world, there is good. Tears are a reaction of the body, created specifically by God. Whether intended for tears of joy, before sin, or not; they are a gift from God.
Our tears and crying out to God in our time of need or rejoicing, is an expression of faith. A clear choice to trust Him with our grief and with our joy. To allow our fleeting emotions to be centered to Him and through Him, for His glory. Crying is not a weakness, but a unique blessing. Do not dwell on your sorrows, and take home in darkness, but look to the light of the Lord with hope and strength. As the young girl on the ship once cried out to the Great Lion for deliverance; he sent forth a light and an albatross, circling three times, to whisper in her time of need. “Courage, dear heart."
Pursue the Lord all your days, in sickness and in health. In joy, and in sadness. His goodness will prevail.
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