Don't Cry Over Spilt Milk

Dear Friends, 

"You have collected all my tears in your bottle."

Why does something always seem to go wrong and cause more work when you are already feeling under pressure from a full to do list?

Last week I was greeted by the sight of a large puddle of milk coming from our fridge freezer. What was happening? I got my answer as soon as I opened the fridge door. An opened six pint milk bottle had been placed on it's side and somehow the top had sprung off into the shelf compartment of the fridge door and milk was leaking everywhere....and I mean everywhere. It had even got in the sealing around the fridge door through a small hole. When I pressed on the sealing, milk shot out!!

When it comes to spilt milk I'm a little paranoid about getting every drop cleaned up, having learnt from experience the smell that comes from milk that hasn't been completely wiped clean!

Now, on some days, I could have easily burst into tears (it doesn't take much) but God gave me the grace I needed to deal with the incident. And I'm pleased to say that, at present, I can detect no bad smell. 😅

However, we all face situations and go through difficult times when all we can do is cry. And I believe the ability to cry is actually a positive thing. Because crying can cause me to throw myself back on God.

What is it that reduces you to tears? For me it can be the pain connected with my child who is going through difficulty, when my depression takes a nose-dive, or when I'm fighting against ongoing health issues, when what was manageable now seems unmanageable.

God has blessed me with some amazing relationships - people who are close to me and provide a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear.

But sometimes, when everything has just got too much, I don't know about you, but I just don't feel able to share it with another human being. In those times, all I can do is cry out to God, sometimes with words such as "I can't take anymore, God. You need to do something!" And other times with no words, just body shaking tears.

I say, "all I can do", but actually I truly believe it is the best thing I can do. God wants us to come to him with our struggles and difficulties. He doesn't expect us to struggle on alone, carrying the heavy load. He doesn't expect us to be strong on our own. He wants to be our refuge, our stronghold, our rock and he can be, if we will just let him.

I love what the Psalmist says in Psalm 56:8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. (NLT) 

The Message version paraphrases it this way: You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn through the sleepless nights, Each tear entered in your ledger, each ache written in your book.

What words of comfort this speaks to my troubled soul. God is close enough to me and cares enough about me that he keeps track of my sorrows. He records it all in his book. He collects my tears in his bottle. It's important to him because we are important to him and we matter to him. How precious is that?

When no one else sees, cares or notices, remember that God does. And I've always found that when I cry out to him, a miracle happens, I receive his comfort, but not only that, the grace and the strength to carry on, to persevere, to endure. He reminds me that whilst I may feel I'm alone in my struggles, he is actually right there with me. He does not and will not desert me to face life on my own.

The writers in the book of Psalms cry out to God knowing that He cares. For example, Psalm 102 is "A prayer of an afflicted person who is weak and pours out his lament before the LORD"

Lord, hear my prayer; let my cry for help come before You.
2 Do not hide Your face from me in my day of trouble.
Listen closely to me; answer me quickly when I call. Psalm 102:1-2 (HCSB)

There are many examples of people in the Bible who have cried out to God in their distress and he has responded to them and brought them comfort and hope. One of my favourite examples is the account of Hagar in Genesis 16

These examples of how God sees, cares and notices bring me comfort, encouragement and the confidence to know that he will do the same for me as he has done for them.

To Think About:
Who has God placed in your life you can share with during a time of struggle and heartache?

In those times when you've felt unable to share with any other person, have you been able to cry out to God? What has happened when you did so?

What does Psalm 56:8 mean to you?

Vicki

If  what you read was of interest to you, then you may like to know that my book "Dear Friend...52 Weekly Devotions to Encourage, Challenge and Inspire" is available to buy from Amazon. (Its content is material adapted from previous blog posts.) To learn more, click on the link below:

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