I love bottles. I have all different kinds around my home. I have a beautiful, glass red one on my mantle; I have perfume bottles displayed on my dresser; I have shampoo bottles in my shower, which I love because they make my hair clean. I also appreciate the baby bottles in my cupboard, reminding me of all those sweet moments of rocking and feeding my little girls when they were younger.
But my favorite bottle is the bottle of tears I just read about in Psalms 56:8. It says, "You have kept count of my wanderings; put my tears in your bottle." 2 Kings 20:5 is written when King Hezekiah is sick and dying. It says, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you." What is so amazing to me is that God not only sees our tears, but He holds onto them in His bottle, keeping count of all of them.
Now there is a lot of tragedy in this world. So much pain and suffering that I cannot even fathom, not to mention the amount of tears. A lot of people ask, "Why does a good God allow pain and suffering?" This world is a very evil place, ruled by the most evil of all, Satan. Because our world is evil, we all will have our own share of pain and tears, unfortunately. But I take much comfort that in the midst of all this evil, our wonderful Father holds onto all of our tears remembering each one of them, and counting them all as significant. He doesn't just see you when you cry; He remembers the reason for each tear, showing us how much He loves us. That is what a good God does!
If pain and suffering do anything good, they remind us of what is really important - the decision we make about our life after death. Praise Him that for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ we have a hope. "I [Jesus] have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) Jesus has overcome all the evil and pain this world will ever bring. And even one day, God will get to throw out all the tears He has gathered in His bottle. Revelation 21:4 says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Praise Him for His victory on the cross and that He offers new life to all who seek Him. That is the kind of good God I serve!
