Wher Are The Tears
July 2022 |
We live in troubling times. Times that prophets of old warned about. Times that Jesus taught His disciples about. Wickedness is increasing and righteousness is decreasing. All the while, souls hang in the balance. Lives are being destroyed. The question must be asked of pastors and the people of God, “Where are the tears?”
A Time Of Calamities
Joel, a prophet sent to Judah, recorded a time when God’s people experienced calamities one after another. They had strayed far from the God they had been in covenant relationship with. Wickedness prevailed as they forsook the ways of God. Consequently, drought, famine, and the invasion of armies of locusts came upon the land. Israel no longer resembled a land flowing with milk and honey.
Tears, Tears, Tears
In that day, there was no shortage of tears. Father’s wept as they could not farm the land. Lean crops that somehow persevered in the midst of an ongoing drought were ravaged by swarms of locusts. Mothers wept, unable to properly care for the children God had given them. Yet these tears did not move the heart of God. Something needed to be done.
A Solemn Assembly
Joel called the priests to stand in the gap: “Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God” (Joel 1:13). It was time for the priests to blow a trumpet in Zion. It was time for a fast. It was time for a solemn assembly. It was time for the ministers of that day to cry unto the Lord. The day of the Lord was at hand.
They Wept Between The Porch And The Altar
The priests, the ministers of the Lord, wept between the porch and the brazen altar. Tears flowed as they interceded on behalf of a wayward nation. They cried unto the Lord for mercy. They petitioned God to not allow the heathen to rule over His heritage. They stood between where the people stood (the porch) and where the sacrifices were made to God (the altar).
Tears Of Repentance
The multitudes saw and heard the priests pleading to God on their behalf. Moved by their example, they joined in with tears of repentance. No longer was their focus on the devastation that sin had produced, instead they turned their focus to the mercy seat of God. Their tears were not for what was occurring in the land but as a result of the ministry of God’s Holy Spirit. Their tears touched the heart of God, which resulted in the locusts being blown into the sea.
Where Are The Tears Today?
Where are the tears today? I’m not referring to tears naturally flowing because of loss due to pandemics, economic misfortunes, or even loss of life. I’m talking about tears that should be flowing as leaders stand between the porch and the altar. Where are the tears? It is not a time to put a positive spin on the events that are transpiring. It’s a time to lay prostrate before God and intercede for this nation. It’s a time for the church to stand between a lost multitude and the only One who could make a difference. The altar of that day is no more. The brazen altar, however, represented Calvary where the Lamb of God was offered for the sins of mankind.
We must ever look to the Christ of the cross who overcame sin, death, and the grave and now is seated at the right hand of the Father. We must intercede for this nation, for souls who are lost, and for saints who are struggling. Let the righteous tears flow as we seek God for His love, mercy, and grace. Let us weep between the porch and the altar.
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