WHAT IF RAIN WERE TEARS FROM HEAVEN?

by Tammy Phillips
November 1, 2020

It has rained most of the week.  In fact, it poured.  I do not believe God cries, but if he did, it would be a big cry resembling the rain from this past week or like the first rain of Noah. Think about how hurt and pained God’s heart was before the flood of Noah.

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. …  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:5-6, 8 NKJV)”

Six chapters into the Bible, God was so done with the evil thoughts of man that he was sorry he created man.  What if He was so grieved that the flood was actually his tears? They were not but what a thought.  What if God was so grieved that he cried forty days and nights?  “For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” (Genesis 7:4 NKJV)

As I was thinking these thoughts this week, I thought about John 11:35,

“Jesus wept.”

The Jews who saw Jesus weep thought he was sad because Lazarus his friend who he loved had died. 

 However, John 11:33 said, “Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled.”  

This verse does not imply that Jesus was sad, but that he was mad and angry.  “Groaned” is the Greek word, embrimaomai, meaning to snort in anger; to be very anger; to be moved with indignation.  “Troubled” is the Greek word, tarassō, which means to be stirred up or agitated.

And some of them said, “Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37 NKJV). Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. (John 11:38 NKJV)

The people who had walked and talked with Jesus, still did not get that he was the resurrection and the life.  They believed he could have prevented Lazarus death, but had no clue he could raise him from the dead.  They placed Jesus in a box. They were limited by their thoughts of what he could and could not do.  I propose because of John 11: 33 and 38 that Jesus wept because he was angry at death and unbelief.  He was not moved to tears because of Lazarus’ death. He knew what he was about to do. He was about to overcome death, once for all.  

Jesus tells his disciples: “And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless, let us go to him.”  His purpose was to raise Laz from the dead so that they would believe and see the glory of the Lord.

As I watched the rain pour down, I wondered if God was sad with the state of the world.  I wandered if the rain was Jesus weeping at the brokenness of our world.  I wandered if he was dismayed and agitated with the death and unbelief in the world?  He is still the resurrection and the life. He has not changed, yet so many still do not see or ignore the fact.

I enCOURAGE you to be moved to repentance at every rain drop.  I hate to think of the possible pain of the rain being tears from heaven.  Jesus overcame death and the grave with the life he so freely gave.  May we honor the King of Kings with our faithfulness by believing that he is who says he is and will do what he says he will do.