Devotionals for the Heart: Holding onto God's goodness in hard times

When All You Have Are Tears to Sow
A devotional by Jessica B. Turner

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.”

—Psalm 126:5-6 (NLT)

It's often the hardest to hold onto God’s goodness when we are walking through hard times. Such as: The loss of a loved one. A dreaded diagnosis. An unexpected financial blow. The heartache of a divorce. There are so many reasons one may fall to their knees in despair, each being unique to the individual.

I remember feeling as if my faith wasn’t what I thought it was when walking through the grief of my miscarriage last year. I would hear all these stories of other moms experiencing the same loss and handling it with such grace. While I on the other hand, seemed to be unraveling at a rate that had me seriously questioning my foundation in God.

During my mourning, I couldn’t find the words to pray. I even struggled with borrowing the words from my favorite praise and worship songs because I couldn’t see myself in them. All I could do was cry and every tear felt like a step further away from God.

I believe that is why this scripture (listed above) made such an impression on my heart when I came across it the other day. It’s such a beautiful reminder that sometimes we don’t have the words to express how we feel or even what we need to get through the other side. All we have are our tears.

The good news is that our tears can be a form of prayer when we direct them to our Heavenly Father, remembering that He is Sovereign. He knows our heart. He sees our brokenness. He shares our suffering.

But it’s up to us to lay those tears at His feet. Knowing that every single tear is accounted for (Psalm 56:8). Every single tear serves as a seed being planted in the Heavens. Every single tear is the dawn of a joyous tomorrow.

Sometimes that “tomorrow” isn’t apparent for quite some time, but hope can be found through clinging to God’s Word (The Holy Bible) that it is coming!

One day you will be able to look back on that season where all you could do was shed tears as a form of worship and you will clearly see the harvest that has sprouted as a result.

You will experience joy unimaginable because you will see things differently. You will be excited to share what God has done in your life because you will see His hand and how it brought good from evil. Your story will become a beautiful song for all to hear. A song that will bring unshakeable hope to others who are still in their season of planting.

Your decision to trust in God, even when you can’t find the words to express what you need from Him, will show others just how faithful He truly is. They will see that a surrendered heart is all that is needed for our Heavenly Father to move on our behalf. Rest in knowing He is already making a way for a harvest, a harvest that will be accompanied by a joy that you would have never experienced if it weren’t for the faithful sowing of your tears.

And if you are in your own season of planting, remember your tears are a beautiful offering and they are enough. 

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for such a powerful reminder that our tears are never shed in vain, that they are in fact a form of prayer setting a foundation for a joyous harvest to come. Help me to hold on to that hope when I feel as if I can’t go on anymore. Surround me with your love and comfort. Breathe new life into my weary bones. Fill my heart with a new song and help me proclaim it so others can know of your goodness. I love You and I trust You. In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.

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Note from Alexis: Jessica’s devotional message today reminds me of the song “Every Single Tear” by Scott Krippayne. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Jessica B. Turner is a wife, mom, and LSU graduate with a degree in veterinary medicine.

 

After practicing small animal medicine for six years, she traded in her stethoscope to become an online wellness coach, motivational speaker, and writer with a passion for mental health advocacy. This major life change was sparked after Jessica struggled with postpartum depression soon after she birthed her twin girls.

Along with Jessica’s career change came the discovery of who Jesus Christ really is and how He was the missing piece for her to be able to move forward from past trauma that she had suppressed for decades.

Jesus walked alongside Jessica as she underwent a transformation like none other. God transformed Jessica’s life from a broken mom who struggled with depression, anxiety, disordered eating, and PTSD from witnessing an attempted suicide, to using her experiences to make her a powerful vessel for Him. To this day, God enables Jessica to touch the lives of others through her often unfiltered, yet inviting, form of storytelling.

Throughout this process of refinement, Jessica has shared her life story with the world through her social media platforms, in-person events, blog posts, and podcasts. She values the gift of transparency and has discovered that what so many people need to know is that they are not alone. Jessica has walked in their shoes, and she wants the world to know that Jesus is walking with them as well.

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Connect with Jessica:
Website: www.jessicabturner.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessicabturner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicabturner/