Moved By Tears

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.”

Matthew 9:36


In a world where we seek to want to refrain from crying it’s no wonder that some of the most powerful and profound moments recorded for us in scripture involve someone crying and shedding tears. The most significant moments in the Bible involve Jesus weeping. The most profound moment by far takes place in the Garden of Gethsemane where the full brunt of the Cross is weighing on the heart and soul of our Savior. So much so it causes Jesus to perspire blood as He cries out to His Father. Maybe the most compassionate moment is when Jesus stands outside the tomb of His friend who has died and identifies with the pain sin and death has caused Lazarus’s sisters and friends. Jesus weeping demonstrates cleary that we have a God who allows Himself to feel what we feel and who fully comprehends what each of us is going through at any given moment in time. And the best part is that He tears moved Him to action, to the point He would give His life on the Cross for us.


Studying Nehemiah this past week I realized for the first time something I had never considered about the greatness of his life. It’s easy to find books on Nehemiah’s leadership skills, vision casting, task management and ability to stay focused when dealing with resistance. I had not read anything about how Nehemiah developed all those amazing talents and gifts he possessed. And yet when I read it this past week it jumped off the page and now I can’t miss it and I pray you don’t miss it too.


If there was a secret to Nehemiah’s success I’d say it was in the power of his tears. Stay with me here. I remember the morning I heard the news that Pastor Greg Laurie’s son Christopher was killed in an automobile accident on the way to the church where he worked with his dad. Like many people I watched as that next Sunday, through the tears, Pastor Greg stood at the pulpit of his church and proclaimed the goodness and faithfulness of God. Over the next months and years now Pastor Greg has been interviewed by many sources about that moment and the impact it had on he and his family. He said candidly in one interview paraphrasing a quote by A.W. Tozer, “The man that God uses greatly He first hurts deeply.” Read the full quote by Tozer and I think you will understand, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." God actually rises up storms of conflict in relationships at times in order to accomplish that deeper work in our character. We cannot love our enemies in our own strength. This is graduate-level grace. Are you willing to enter this school? Are you willing to take the test? If you pass, you can expect to be elevated to a new level in the Kingdom. For He brings us through these tests as preparation for greater use in the Kingdom. You must pass the test first.”


I believe Nehemiah’s greatness can be traced back to the tears he shed in Shushan when he received the news of how things were in Jerusalem and how discouraged the people were who lived there. It broke his heart to hear the city was destroyed and its gates burned and it moved him to tears and I believe its the compassion of those tears that moved Nehemiah into action to do great things for God. The people who are the most effective in this life and who stay in there when life gets hard do so because their hearts have been broken for the person, the people, place or the thing they shed tears for. Compassion at its deepest level is manifest in tears. We say often in life, “I was moved to tears” to express the level of hurt or sorrow we felt. Nehemiah’s greatness wasn’t in that he was moved to tears but rather that his tears moved him to action.


I invite you to join me in praying a dangerous prayer today, “God break my heart for what breaks yours” knowing that if we allow God to move us to tears for a person, for people, for a place, or a cause, those tears of compassion will ultimately move us to action. I believe it was the heartfelt tears that Nehemiah wept that fueled his success. Maybe a good heartfelt cry is what we all need today to serve as the fuel in our own lives to bring about the lasting change in our lives and in the lives of those we love. If this resonates with you make it your prayer today, “God break my heart for what breaks Yours”.


“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”



Matthew 6:10


I LOVE YOU!