May 31 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Psalm 6:

¹O LORD, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
²Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
³My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
⁴Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
⁵For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
⁶I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
⁷Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
⁸Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
⁹The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.
¹⁰Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

Devotional

This world has been called a vale of tears. A baby is born crying, and when at last the weary pilgrim is laid to rest, his relatives and friends shed tears of sorrow and grief. And how many tears are shed from the cradle to the grave! There are times of weeping in the life of every child of God. Sometimes a person is so upset emotionally that he cannot do anything else but weep.

When David and his men came to Ziklag, their city, and saw that it was burned with fire, and that the enemies had taken the women captives, and their sons and their daughters, then they "lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep." The psalmist says, "I am weary with my groanings; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears." "In Rama there was great weeping .... Rachel weep­ing for her children and would not be comforted." Mary stood at the sepulchre of Christ weeping. The disciples also mourned and wept on that first Easter morning, when they had every reason to rejoice.

Is it not so with us? We often weep when we should rejoice. It is Christ that says to us, Weep not. It is He that changes our sorrow into joy. "As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." Because Christ offered up supplications and prayers with strong crying and tears unto God, and was heard, God will wipe all our tears away.

Prayer

O God our Father, grant that in the hour of sorrow and affliction we may not despair, but may through our tears behold our compassionate Saviour, who wept here on earth that we might be enabled to rejoice now and throughout all eternity. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: 1 Sam. 30:1-4; Ps. 6:6; Matt. 2:18; John 20:11; Mark 16:10; Luke 8:52; John 16:20; 2 Cor. 6:10; Heb. 5:7; Rev. 7:17.

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