Sometimes we feel that our tears and prayers for those we love are in vain. It seems that God does not hear our prayers, or that He is taking a very long time to answer. It seems nothing is changing in the lives of those we pray for. If anything, they seem farther away from God than ever. But if we look at Scripture and at personal experience of ourselves and others, we find that tears and prayers and sufferings are never in vain.
“They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.” (Psalm 126:6)
Jesus refused His Request
Jesus prayed so intensely, in such agony, that He sweated drops of blood. Luke 22:44 “…His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” This medical condition is called ‘hematohidrosis’. The blood vessels surrounding the sweat glands constrict under great stress, causing the blood vessels to dilate and rupture, releasing blood into the sweat.
The Roman Crucifixion was a horrible way to die. The Romans would purposely leave the bodies of those crucified hanging on the cross for all passing by to see and learn to fear the punishment of the Roman Government. There are records of anywhere from 500 to 2000 crucifixions taking place in a single day.
Crucifixion was slow and very painful, taking from 3 to 4 hours to 3 to 4 days. The Roman guards could hasten the death by breaking the legs. The scourging prior to being nailed to the cross contributed greatly to the timing of death. The weight of the body hindered the chest muscles used for breathing, resulting in a high level of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream and reduced oxygen levels, resulting in asphyxia.
Jesus was fully human, as well as fully divine. He was God manifested in a fleshly body. God is a Spirit; and Jesus said a ‘spirit’ does not have flesh and bones. God, as a Spirit, is invisible, and cannot be seen by human eyes. Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father. Jesus answered, “Have I been with you so long, and still you do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) The Apostle Paul said it plainly as “God was in Christ” (II Corinthians 5:20) and “…the Son is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:14)
Jesus, as a human fleshly body, cried out in agony to His Father that the cup of crucifixion might be removed. Christ sought the permission of His Father to not partake of the cross, three times in total intensity. After not receiving that permission, He surrendered His will to His Father’s will and surrendered to those who came to arrest Him.
The Father did not grant His Son’s request. He allowed His Son to suffer a horrible Roman death. Jesus felt so alone on the cross that He cried out, “My God why have you forsaken me?!”
Did the Father cry over His suffering Son?
I believe that God was very sad, more so than we could ever be, as He had to watch His Son suffer and die that horrible death. Jesus wept, and He was God in the flesh, so when Jesus wept, it was also God weeping. I believe God wept when His Son died, but He also rejoiced, knowing that Jesus would soon be at His right hand forevermore, after destroying the power of the devil over those who believe in Christ as their Lord and God.
David
Many times David felt like God had forsaken him. Psalm 13:1, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?”
Paul
Paul sought God three times for his ‘thorn in his flesh’, and God finally told him that His Grace was sufficient, leaving Paul with the ‘thorn’.
Missionaries
Missionaries have been kidnapped, tortured, cast into prison, and killed for preaching Christ. I was threatened with prison, as a missionary to Malawi. Thankfully, God gave me the exact words to say which kept me out of an African prison, just as He promised in Luke 12:11.
Christians persecuted today
Today, Christians are being persecuted and beheaded by ISIS, while our government remains silent. If the fight against terrorism is not successful, we may soon see this type of rape, torture, and killing on our own American soil.
Why doesn’t God stop it all? Why does He allow so much evil and suffering in this world? These questions have been asked since the beginning of time, and no one is able to answer theme sufficiently.
Job
Job is a prime example of the innocent suffering. He lost his children, his possessions, his health, and he reaped the scorn of his wife and friends, yet he was an upright man before God.
What we learn from the story is that the devil had to get permission from God to be able to afflict Job, and that God used these afflictions to strengthen Job’s faith, and to judge his friends and wife. In the end, God restored double to Job all that he had lost. In other words, there was a greater good that came out of the horrible bad.
Wheat dies, or abides alone
Before a harvest of wheat, there comes the planting of the seed in the ground. If the grain does not die and burst open, Jesus says it will abide alone. But if it dies, it will produce a great harvest of wheat, sometimes 30, 60 or even 100 fold.
End Results are what count
Jesus’ death birthed Christianity, which encompasses believers around the world and has brought much good to society because of the love and goodness of Christian hearts. Hospitals, schools, colleges, and good will organizations mostly were started by Christians desiring to spread the good news of Christ and help the living conditions of their fellow man. Christ’s teachings will fill the New Earth and New Heavens one day soon.
Paul’s thorn caused him to rely on God, in humility, and kept him from being puffed up in pride about his knowledge and accomplishments for Christ.
David is called by God, ‘a man after God’s own heart’, and has the promise that he will help rule the 1000 years of peace when Christ returns as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Job’s name is known around the world as the man who overcame great obstacles to his faith, bringing hope to millions of suffering people.
Missionaries will see in Heaven how their suffering or death birthed thousands of souls into the Kingdom of God.
And you and I will see, one day, when we leave these bodies of flesh, how those tears shed for our loved ones went into a bottle before God and were poured out as incense from the altar of God into the hearts of our loved ones, convicting them of right and wrong, and the day when they will stand before their Judge. How those prayers of intensity caused God to send angels to protect our loved ones from danger and harm, and grant them mercy and favor until they could surrender their wills totally to Him as their Lord and Savior.
