Psalm 56:8, "You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book."
1 Peter 1:6-7, “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
December is a harder month for some people. It can be a time of joy, but for others a time of remembering past hurts. We live in a world of hurts; people will tun their back on others, people will cause tears to fall, and people will stop talking with others. All of these afflictions are not only known by God but noted in His book of record. [Psalm 56:8] What a consolation to us, as believers. The following are reminders from Matthew Henry's Commentary about how God is in control over our sorrows and how we are to reach out in prayer.
"God takes cognizance of all the afflictions of his people; and he does not cast out from his care and love those whom men have cast out from their acquaintance and converse." [M. Henry]
"God has a bottle and a book for his people’s tears, both those for their sins and those for their afflictions. " [M. Henry]
"God will not forget the sorrows of his people. The tears of God’s persecuted people are bottled up and sealed among God’s treasures; and, when these books come to be opened, they will be found vials of wrath, which will be poured out upon their persecutors, whom God will surely reckon with for all the tears they have forced from his people’s eyes; and they will be breasts of consolation to God’s mourners, whose sackcloth will be turned into garments of praise. God will comfort his people according to the time wherein he has afflicted them, and give to those to reap in joy who sowed in tears. What was sown a tear will come up a pearl." [M. Henry]
"The saints have God for them; they may know it; and to him they must cry when they are surrounded with enemies; and, if they do this in faith, they shall find a divine power exerted and engaged for them; their enemies shall be made to turn back, their spiritual enemies, against whom we fight best upon our knees." [M. Henry]
We must remember thru 1 Peter 1:6-7, that our trials are temporary and working for our good. The struggle is real, but it's making us better and more Christ-like. Be happy that you were chosen for this suffering because your reward in heaven will be worth it all.
As for myself, I've stocked up my fair share of bottles of tears. But, no one can steal my joy because it is secure in Jesus and His promises. Yes, I've had trials of abandonment and hard suffering, but I know my struggles are temporary. Jesus has never and will never disappoint me. He doesn't take my trials away, but helps me through them. What is unseen is getting clearer to me everyday, as my time draws nearer.