Where is God When I'm Weeping?
Have you ever poured out your soul and cried before God? Does He hear and listen? Does He weep with us. Listen as I share a particularly poignant Bible Story which has helped me answer these questions.
Bible Story of Weeping— John chapter 11
Story of Lazarus dying and his sisters Mary and Marht
"Lord if you had been here” moments (verses 21 & 32)
When we are weeping—Jesus feels our sorrow (verse 33). Also see Hebrews 4:15-16
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
"He sees the joy of your future but He feels the pain of your present."
Jesus weeps with us because He loves us (verse 36)
Jesus has power to raise one from the dead and also heal one who is weeping
Brokenness may sometimes be a prerequisite to having a breakthrough with God
3 examples from my personal life where I felt so broken but then had an epiphany breakthrough while I was weeping.
Sometimes we don’t get the miracle we are so desperately praying for—but perhaps we learn something even better—that He sees us and hears us and weeps with us in our brokenness.
3 Bible Tips to Remember When Weeping
1. You’re not alone in your weeping
Mary and Martha wept
Joseph wept
Hannah wept
David wept
Jesus wept
2. When you are weeping God is there with you.
Jesus is there with you in your pain
Jesus weeps with you.
3. Trust in God’s timing
Trust that in time your weeping and sorrow will turn to joy (Psalm 30:5).
Trust that though God weeps with you, He sees the joy coming for you and can and will heal you.
#tamarakanderson #storiesofhopeinhardtimes #podcast #hope #God #hardtime #crying #weeping #BibleStory #healing #JesusChrist #MaryandMartha #Lazarus
Transcription
You can find the transcription of today's episode here:
Tamara Anderson 0:03
Have you ever wept before God? Like, utterly and completely heartbroken, Soul shattered and weeping? And when you have, is he listening? Is he hearing? Does he weep with you? Today we're going to talk about this particularly meaningful Bible story that has become more meaningful to me in the last few months. Stay tuned.
Tamara Anderson 0:38
Welcome to Stories of Hope in Hard Times, the show that explores how people endure and even thrive in difficult times, all with God's help. I'm your host Tamara K Anderson. Join me on a journey to find inspiring stories of hope and wisdom learned in life's hardest moments.
Tamara Anderson 1:03
Hello, and welcome to another episode of tamaraws takeaways on the stories of hope in hard times podcast. I'm your host, Tamara K. Anderson. And today we're going to talk about something that probably isn't our favorite thing. But I think all of us reach the point in life where things are hard, like not just hard, but like, really, really stressful, exhausting, hard to the point where you are weeping, not just tears running down your cheeks, but literally sobbing. And I don't know about you. But in my life, these instances have happened many times.
Tamara Anderson 1:47
And to start off today's podcast, I want to take you to a chapter in the Bible that has become so very meaningful to me. As I pondered the things that I've learned through my weeping, I'm going to share with you a few things that I've learned that had become very, very important to me, almost sacred learning experiences have happened because of my weeping.
Tamara Anderson 2:10
So let's turn quickly to John chapter 11. And this is the story where Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. And this is such an amazing and incredible story, not only of the power of Jesus Christ, to he is the Life in the Light of the world, he's able to raise us from even death. And I'm going to share with you a little bit of this story because it's such an incredible story.
Tamara Anderson 2:42
So Lazarus, and Mary and Martha were some of Jesus Christ's followers in his day. And they were very close to the point that when Lazarus got very sick, Mary, sent to Jesus and said, in verse three, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest, is sick. And it says, When Jesus heard that he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.
Tamara Anderson 3:17
And then it says, Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, he loved them. And when he had heard their four, that he was sick, he abode today still in the same place where he was. So we don't know what he was doing. It might have been something super important. It doesn't say, it just says that he delayed. And then they started on their journey to visit Lazarus. And as they were going, Jesus says in verse 11, our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go, that I may wake him out of his sleep. And then his disciples said, Lord, if he sleeps, he shall do well. But Jesus knew that Lazarus was dead, even though his disciples thought he meant he was sleeping.
Tamara Anderson 4:05
And Jesus came nigh to Jerusalem, it says, And when he arrived, it had been four days since Lazarus had passed. And many of the Jews had come in to Mary and Martha, and they were comforting them concerning their brother. And as soon as Martha heard Jesus was coming, she went out and she met him, but Mary was still in the house. And Martha approached him in verse 21. And it says, Martha said unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died, but I know that even now whatsoever thou task of God, God will give it thee.
Tamara Anderson 4:42
And Jesus said unto her, thy brother shall rise again. And Martha said unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day, Jesus said, in her, I am the resurrection and the life and he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never Die, believe it, sell this. And she said unto him, Yea, Lord, I believe that they are the Christ, the Son of God, which come into the world. And when she said she went her way, and she called Mary and said, secretly saying, The Masters come and call us for the, and when she heard that she rose quickly and came on to him.
Tamara Anderson 5:18
So she went out to Jesus, and the Jews that were with her in her house and had been comforting her. They, when they saw her go up and leave, they followed her thinking she's going to Lazarus grave to weep. And when Mary was come where Jesus was and saw him, she fell down at his feet, and said unto him, Lord, if thou had spent here, my brother had not died.
Tamara Anderson 5:45
Now, I just want to pause right here, and ask you, have you ever been at that point, where if Jesus were standing in the room, you would fall at his feet, weeping? And saying, God, if you had been here, this wouldn't have happened. This person who is sick, would have lived, this marriage that was broken, would have been saved. Whatever it is, that has caused you to get to the point of broken hearted, weeping, that you would have fallen like very at the feet of Jesus, and said, Lord, if thou hadst been here.
Tamara Anderson 6:32
I don't know about you. But I've been at that point in my life. Several times, when I have feels so broken by the circumstances around me, that I have wept to God, all by myself. And it's often in a very private and quiet moment prayer. I've done it in my car. I've done it at the side of my bed on my knees. I've done it on the floor. That there are very personal and private moments when I feel my soul has been crushed. And sorrow has overcome me completely. Mary felt that way. And I have felt that way. And I'm sure you have felt that way. Where you just don't even have words to describe the sorrow, anguish and grief that you're experiencing at that very moment. In fact, you're so sorrowful that you cannot even hold your strength, it comes out as weeping and you just fall to the ground.
Tamara Anderson 7:51
And there's a sweet, sweet lesson here that we learn in verse 33. When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the Spirit, and was troubled. When we reached that moment of desperate sorrow and grief, he feels it. I love the verse and Hebrews chapter four, where it says, For we have not a high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are yet without sin. Therefore, let us come boldly into the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. When we are weeping, he is touched.
Tamara Anderson 8:46
He feels it, it is real to him, just like it is real to you. And it doesn't matter that Jesus knows what's happening next day or next week, or in 10 years from now or 20 years from now. What matters is how you are doing right then.
Tamara Anderson 9:05
He sees the end from the beginning, he sees the joy in your future, but he feels the pain of your present. Let me say that again. He sees the joy in your future but he feels the pain in your present. So even though you cannot see yourself ever been happy again in that moment, He does. And even though he sees you being happy when you are sorrowing and sad and grieving. He sees and feels that.
Tamara Anderson 9:43
And it says And verse 35. Jesus wept. It didn't matter that he knew the miracles that was going to happen in just a few moments. He saw them sorrowing. Had he wept with them. It's as beautiful and as simple as that. And the Jews said, Behold how he loved him. And so if you wonder, if Jesus is there with you when you are weeping, know that he is there weeping with you, because He loves you. Just as he loved Mary and Martha and Lazarus, he is there and he weeps, out of love. That lifts my soul.
Tamara Anderson 10:42
Now, let's get to the pivotal point of this story where the miracle happens. And when He had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came for it. It's a powerful witness of the power of Jesus Christ, to heal, to lift, to lighten, to breathe life back into the very being of one who is dead. And also one who is weeping. Now some of you may wonder, well, why did he wait so long?
Tamara Anderson 11:25
We're going to take a quick break. But when we get back, we'll have more lessons, tips and things you can apply to your life. Stay tuned. In my friends, it's Tamara K Anderson, and I need your help. I am gearing up for a wonderful Christmas season this year. And I need your stories to be part of it. I'm launching a new part on my podcast that I'm going to start doing every holiday season called holiday stories of hope. And so I would love to hear your stories that you and your family have had happened to you during the holidays that have inspired hope, in Christ hope in your family, stories that perhaps you've passed down for generations. Or perhaps it's something that's happened to you personally. So if you have a story you would love to share. If you wouldn't mind coming on a zoom call with me and recording it, we can do it in 5, 10, 15 minutes. And then I will be sharing that this November and December with my audience so that we can all be inspired by your story of hope. If you're interested, go to my website Tamara Kay anderson.com, and go to contact me and reach out to me that way, and we'll get something set up. Alright guys, thanks for being such great supporters. And I look forward to sharing more of your stories of hope.
Tamara Anderson 12:53
Now, some of you may wonder, well, why did he wait so long? Why did he wait until they were weeping? To bring the miracle to pass. Sometimes I think we need to reach a place of brokenness, before we can witness the miracle, the miracle of healing of our souls. Perhaps we need to have that brokenness, to have a breakthrough.
Tamara Anderson 13:30
And I've seen that in my life. It was when I was on my knees pouring my soul out to God, asking him why I was had two children with autism. And I was weeping with my whole soul broken, that I finally heard an answer. And it wasn't telling me why my children had autism. And it wasn't healing them. But it was simply Tamara, This is normal for you.
Tamara Anderson 14:09
At another point in my life, I remember weeping to God with a broken heart once again, asking why these things had happened and why I was so broken. I was trying so hard to follow what he was guiding me to do. And yet here I was broken. And the Whisper came, "You'll understand." It wasn't the answer I wanted. But sometimes I think brokenness precedes those epiphanies where we have breakthroughs and we see things differently. Maybe we don't understand in the moment, but God is giving us a moment where we can be quiet and still and listening desperately enough? To get the answer, we need to keep moving forward.
Tamara Anderson 15:10
Another time I remember weeping beside Nathan's bed who was screaming and crying and had been for hours and hours and hours. Just like the disciples who were battling the storm, and it was raging all around them, he came in the fourth watch, in those early hours just before sunrise, to calm and to save. Sometimes he comes in our most desperate hour. And for me in that moment, the answer was pray for angels. And it was just the lesson I needed to learn at my most broken moment.
Tamara Anderson 16:02
So going back to this beautiful story of Mary and Martha and Lazarus. When we reach that point of desperate weeping, perhaps we're finally ready to hear exactly what God needs to teach us that will help us begin the path towards healing. And when we are weeping, he weeps with us. And yes, he has power to heal and make the whole situation better. But sometimes, in these moments of brokenness, we learn the greatest lesson of all, that he is with us, that we're not alone. That he sees us in our brokenness and feels us in our brokenness and weeps with us. When we are shattered, and don't know how we can possibly go on.
Tamara Anderson 17:13
Now in the story of Mary and Martha, their brother was raised from the dead. And they're weeping though it had endured for several nights did turn to joy. So my message to you today is one of hope. Remember, God sees you in your brokenness, and you may wonder why you don't get the answer. Until your most desperate hour. But listen for the Whisper. Listen, for the inspiration that comes, it may not come right away.
Tamara Anderson 17:56
Remember that Joseph of Egypt didn't see the fullness of the whole story until his brothers came to Egypt begging for food. I'm sure there were many desperate nights when he wept not only as a young boy sold into slavery, not only when he was thrown into prison, but to see it come full circle decades later. He knew and understood God's will for him.
Tamara Anderson 18:35
Perhaps like Abraham, you feel impressed to do something that wrenches your very heartstrings. Maybe it's not sacrificing your son, but it's sacrificing something else that you love desperately and dearly. And when you're at that moment of greatest sorrow and grief, got answers.
Tamara Anderson 19:00
And maybe like Mary and Martha, he will not save people that you love from passing on. So if you're weeping, I want you to remember these three things. Number one, you are not alone in your weeping. Mary and Martha wept. Joseph wept. Hannah wept. David wept. Peter wept. Jesus wept. You are not alone in your sorrow or grief. Many have gone before you who have wept.
Tamara Anderson 19:44
But most importantly, and this is the second point I want to drive home is when you are weeping God is there with you. Jesus is there feeling your sorrow-- Feeling your pain as you weep To him, and he weeps with you.
Tamara Anderson 20:06
Now, the third thing I want you to remember from this, not only first that others have wept, second, that Jesus weeps, but third, trust in God's timing, that bill you weak and feel very broken. That in time, your weeping and your sorrow and your tears will turn to joy. I love the verse, Psalm chapter 30, verse five, weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Tamara Anderson 20:45
Trust that just like in the story of Mary and Martha, and the raising of Lazarus, that Jesus sees the joy that is coming for you. He sees that, though you are weeping in the dark of your night, right now, that joy and rejoicing will come in a soon to be time, and as soon to be date, and that you will have hope and light and joy again, because of the great healer, who will call you for justice. He called Lazarus forth, and invite you into his embrace. Perhaps it will happen in this life and perhaps in the life to come. But remember, you're not alone as you weep. Others have wept with you and understand that sorrow and grief. But more importantly, Jesus weeps with you. And trust in His timing that weeping will only enter for a night, and that joy will indeed come. In the morning.
Tamara Anderson 21:55
I testify that Jesus Christ lives and that he loves you. Hope on my friends.
Tamara Anderson 22:03
Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's show. If you like what you heard, subscribe so you can get your weekly dose of powerful stories of hope. I know there are many of you out there who are going through a hard time, and I hope you found useful things that you can apply to your own life in today's podcast. If you'd like to access the shownotes of today's show, please visit my website stories of hope podcast.com. There you will find a summary of today's show, the transcript and one of my favorite takeaways. You know, if someone kept coming to mind during today's episode, perhaps that means that you should share this episode with them. Maybe there was a story shared or quote, or a scripture verse that they really, really need to hear. So go ahead and share this podcast. May God bless you, especially if you are struggling with hope to carry on and have the strength to keep going. When things get tough. Remember to walk with Christ and He will help you bear the burden. And above all else, remember, God loves you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai