Order My Steps in Thy Word

Tears water the seeds of our prayers. God catches them away and keeps them forever in His bottles ~ a sacrifice of a sweet smell unto Him.

Individually our tears and our prayers are good things, but together they are transformed into magnificent things that God can use greatly for His purposes. If you've never cried out to God with genuine tears, my friend, you don't know what you're missing! Tears are an undeniable proof of our sincerity, to God, yes, but mostly to ourselves.

These thoughts, and many others, have been on my heart this weekend, and this, THIS is what I read this morning!

Psalm 126:5-6 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

Revelations 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Hebrew 5:7-8 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

Mark 9:23-24 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Wow. Just....wow! In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul! He's been speaking volumes to me, and I cherish every word.

I truly do.

But only because I have known His silence when I longed with all that was in me to hear His voice ~ so much so that it seemed the harder I would listen for His still, small voice, the more convinced I'd become that I must be soul deaf. Those times also happened to be during the deepest and darkest days of testings, trials, and tribulations I have ever experienced. Looking back I can see it was because He carried me so close that words were not necessary.

He knew.

I knew that He knew.

And that truly was enough.

A friend posted this story on her blog one day when I was in the midst of my parent's trial. May it encourage your heart as it has mine ~ many times.



"Listen to an old and beautiful story of how one Christian dreamed that she saw three others in prayer. As they knelt the Master drew near to them.

"As He approached the first of the three, He bent over her in tenderness and grace with sweetest music.

"Leaving her, He came to the next, but only placed His hand upon her bowed head and gave her one look of loving approval.

"The third woman He passed almost abruptly without stopping for a word or glance.

"The woman in her dream said to herself, 'How greatly He must love the first one, to the second He gave his approval, but none of the special demonstrations of love He gave the first. The third must have grieved Him deeply, for He gave her no word at all and not even a passing look. I wonder what she has done and why He makes so much difference between them?'

"As she tried to account for the action of her Lord, He Himself stood by her and said, 'O woman! How wrongly hast thou interpreted me.'

'The first kneeling woman needs all the weight of my tenderness and care to keep her feet in my narrow way. She needs my love, thought and help every moment of the day. Without it she would fail.'

"'The second has stronger faith and deeper love, and I can trust her to trust me however things may go and whatever people do.'

"'The third whom I seemed not to take notice and even to neglect, has faith and love of the finest quality and her I am training by quick and drastic processes for the highest and holiest service. She knows Me so intimately and trusts Me so utterly that she is independent of words or looks or any outward intimation of My approval. She is not dismayed nor discouraged by any circumstances through which I arrange that she shall pass. She trusts Me when sense and reason and every finer instinct of the natural heart would rebel--because she knows that I am working in her for eternity and that what I do, though she knows not the explanation now, she will understand hereafter.'

"'I am silent in My love because I love beyond the power of words to express, or human hearts to understand and also for your sake that you may learn to love and trust Me.'"

"'Why are thou cast down, O.....soul? ......I shall yet praise Him'.....even for His silence."

Amen! And that I may rejoice all the more when He speaks.