A FOUNTAIN OF TEARS
Suggested Reading: Jeremiah 9-10
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
The desolation of one of the ancient streets of Laodicea (in present day Turkey). Today's reading tells us of Jerusalem becoming "A heap of ruins" (Jeremiah 9:11a).
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verse: Jeremiah 9:1
Oh, that my head were waters,
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
Jeremiah experienced the broken heart of God and he wept! “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), and He also wept over Jerusalem! Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34). The sorrow of Jeremiah is over, but the sorrow of Jesus, because He is alive and He sees all, continues to this very day. Jesus’ compassion continues in His mercy and willingness to forgive us our sins. If we have caused Him to weep over us currently, turn back to Him now. The most often repeated verse in the Bible is, “His mercy endures forever” (the entire 136th Psalm).
According to my son-in-law, Rev. Nizar Shaheen, who reads the Old Testament in the original languages, Jeremiah 10:11 is not in Hebrew but in the universal language of the time, Aramaic. Jeremiah wanted all nations to know that their gods would perish! It was believed that these gods controlled the heavens and the earth, but Jeremiah proclaimed that the Lord God of Israel, the sole Creator of the universe, has sovereign control of it all (read again Jeremiah 10:11-13).
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God of Jeremiah, I recognize that You, and You alone, are the great Creator, and that You, and You alone, took upon Yourself my sin and wrong when You suffered on the Cross. I weep over my sin and over the sin of the world. May I, like Jeremiah, proclaim Your Truth and Your Mercy to the world around me in a way that people can understand. I pray in the Name of the Saviour Who wept over the needs of all people, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
I stood in amazement on the street in front of the Ethiopian Orthodox Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, as I heard a young priest preaching at the top of his voice that the terrible famine which had devastated the country was the result of the people turning away from God. He did this despite the risk in a country with an atheistic, communist government that had seized power and executed all male members of the family of the late Emperor Haile Selassie. This young man was fearless! He also proclaimed that if the people would turn back to God, He would have mercy on them. Crossroads raised, with matching funds from the Canadian Government, over 7 million dollars for the Ethiopian famine relief. I have no doubt that we were a part of the answer to the weeping prayers of the Ethiopian people. In fact, it was the tears of a former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, who was seen to weep on the national Canadian news, as he visited Ethiopia on his way home from the funeral of Indira Ghandi of India. There was an immediate initiative to act and give to help save lives.
Our present Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, has just returned home from his first visit to Jerusalem. He was seen to pray at what is known as “The Wailing Wall” (picture below). Here, Jews and some non-Jews pray and sometimes weep and wail because of the destruction of Jerusalem. The word “wailing” is repeated three times in today’s reading. Several times during my life, in times of great crisis, I have experienced “wailing,” but not when anyone could hear me. After the death of loved ones in the Middle East, one can often hear the sound of wailing. The people are not ashamed of expressing their extreme grief. These people say that we who live in the west do not know how to grieve properly in order to express our pain. We do tend to keep it all inside and psychologists tell us that failure to express our deep grief is emotionally harmful.
Yours for genuine sorrow for our sins and for those things that break God’s heart!
David
Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the "Wailing Wall" in Jerusalem.
Let us all continue to lift up our Prime Minister and all our government in prayer… we know how much it is needed here in Canada as well as across the world. May it be that we turn back to Him as our Sovereign Governor that it may go well with us. Amen.
Please pray for my sister who is in the hospital in extreme pain and anguish. She has strong faith in Our Lord. I have asked for her to be anointed with oil. Thus far, doctors have been unable to specifically diagnose.
Dear Lord, our Heavenly Father, and Gracious King, and to the sanctity of the Holy Spirit, we unite in prayer for the dear sister of our brother-in-Christ, David. We lift her up to You, Lord, as she is recoiled in utter pain. We ask for Your divine intervention and grace to bring comfort and peace for her. As she is covered with Your healing blood, Lord, we know she will be cleansed from the pain. For You Lord, are our strength and our faith in You is great. Thank You for wrapping Your loving arms around her, and David and his family, Lord. Let their worries and fears melt away, for there is nothing greater than the strength they have in You. May angels sing lovingly into her ears, “Praise God, praise God, praise God, from whom all blessings flow.” In Jesus precious name, we pray–amen, amen, and amen.
Amen By his stripes we are healed thank you Lord for giving the drs knowledge to diagnose her pain in Jesus name Amen .
Amen, Brenda!
Thank you so much for the spirit filled prayers for my sister! I am deeply moved as this is such a difficult time for her. I am believing she will feel your love and strength from Our Heavenly Father interceding in her life and the medical field working with her.
Amen, Brenda!!
Amen, Beverlee!!
AMEN Beverlee!!!!
A double Amen to your prayer Beverlee for David’s sister.
Amen Beverlee. Amen, Brenda
I will pray the same prayer as you do Beverlee for David and his family
Lianne hogg
Amen, Lianne!!
Yes, and I do too!!
Amen, Ruby!
Thank you David M. for another day of understanding God’s word.
The preacher in Ethiopia was extremely brave to speak out as he did. In todays world all preachers are so brave in my estimation even though they don’t blatantly say why disasters strike people.
Thank you, David Mainse, for another full message, today, that links the sadness of Jeremiah 9-10, world affairs and politics, and our need to continue praying now, more than ever. I am so grateful to see Prime Minister Stephen Harper praying at the wailing wall. Thank you so much for including that photo, Reynold and Ron!! It means so much as a Canadian, Christian, and member of the human race. We are all sisters and brothers, together. Let us pray together for the well being of Israel, all Arab and Muslim nations, Russia, China, North Korea, India, Africa–every nation and continent, city and community, that faces confines of turmoil and oppression. Let peace reign in the world and war come to an end. For You, indeed, are our soul Creator, Lord! e are so blessed in Canada and the United States with the freedoms to pray and sing our praises to God Almighty, our Heavenly King!
In Psalm 136, we give thanks to You, God, for Your enduring mercy in our lives!
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who laid out the earth above the waters,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who made great lights,
For His mercy endures forever?
The sun to rule by day,
For His mercy endures forever;
The moon and stars to rule by night,
For His mercy endures forever.
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn,
For His mercy endures forever;
And brought out Israel from among them,
For His mercy endures forever;
With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,
For His mercy endures forever;
And made Israel pass through the midst of it,
For His mercy endures forever;
But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who struck down great kings,
For His mercy endures forever;
And slew famous kings,
For His mercy endures forever?
Sihon king of the Amorites,
For His mercy endures forever;
And Og king of Bashan,
For His mercy endures forever?
And gave their land as a heritage,
For His mercy endures forever;
A heritage to Israel His servant,
For His mercy endures forever.
Who remembered us in our lowly state,
For His mercy endures forever;
And rescued us from our enemies,
For His mercy endures forever;
Who gives food to all flesh,
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
For His mercy endures forever.
Amen, amen, and amen!
Amen, and amen, and amen. His mercy endures forever. His love endures forever! Amen
Thank u David for being a blessing to us, as u refresh others yourself will be refreshed. Your sister is healed by faith in Jesus’ precious name Amen
Amen, Margaret!!
Thank you for another great message David. And agree in prayer with others for the prognosis and healing of your sister, David. In Jesus precious name. Amen. Is a blessing to see Prime Minister Harper at the wailing wall. Praise Him!
Dear Rev. David M.
Reading todays scripture , knowing that Jesus Himself wept , and I know as I weep right now for my family , this province of Quebec , this great nation of Canada and the rest of the world I ask forgiveness for each and everyone that has turned away from the one and only God almighty our Councelor , our Advisor , our Redeemer The Holy Spirit. In the name above every name Jesus Christ. I was quite impressed by the world wide ministry of Wailing Women. I wanted to share it with all of you.
http://wailingwomenworldwide.org/
PS… joining my sisters and brothers in Christ in praying for Davids sister and all his family .
Have a blessed day everyone.
xxxx Carole.
Thank you for another uplifting passage from God’s Word, and to know His mercy endures forever, brings great joy and comfort, as we should all be wailing for the world in turmoil, who need JESUS.
Well I have just finished bringing in the firewood I needed for Feb. As some of you know on Saturday a relative was supposed to come and help me, but the weather prevented him from coming. Today, another relative had the day off and he came and helped me– the conditions weren’t ideal, but now my house is toasty warm– and hopefully this wood will last into the spring.
I don’t pretend I will ever understand God’s ways but I do know from our lack of perspective and incorrect perceptions we can sometimes believe God is really mean– in fact if you write the question ” why is God so mean to me” in your computer search engine, there a lot people out there who have asked that question. But for those who know God, we know it is not His nature to be mean, or cruel; His nature is love. And that is really hard to believe at times, when circumstances like an unexpected illness, or a prolong one comes into our lives. When loved ones pass away and leave us, when evil prospers and the consequence of sin wrecks havoc in lives, our own, or others—
I have only wailed once in my life, after the death of my father– after spending months taking care of him as lung cancer slowly took his life from him, the funeral was over and everything that needed to be done was done. My sister asked me a question and I snapped, I ran to my room and wail, really wail, and I never felt so alone in my life, but I never felt closer to God—
so I don’t know why God doesn’t just make everything better for us, or give us all the circumstances that would make life easy for us, but I do know one thing, even if I get mad at Him, I never stop believing in His goodness and His love for me.
Therefore I add my prayer for David’s sister, I know the enemy will try to use this in her life to get her to question God’s love for her, and His goodness– so my prayer is her faith will stay strong until God’s perfect plan for her life is reveal.
Sorry for being a chatter box, just needed to get this out for many reasons, so thanks for your patience and for listening and for the prayers about the firewood circumstance on Sat. They were answered. Amen
Yaaaay !! Glad your wood got chopped !! Awesome.
prayers for your sister David…praying God gives her strength and healing mercy.
I have a prayer request for my brother Bradley Harde…He is back in panoka hosp. Alberta. He has attempted suicide many times…one year ago in dec. He tried to shoot himself and was admitted to hospital in panoka then.now he is back there.He suffers from depression…possibly by/polar. He dosent have faith in God….He sooooo needs a savior !!!
Its so hard on our family of 6 siblings and mom/ dad. Please pray however God leads…THANKS
Dear Wanda
Will be asking for prayers from all my bible study group this coming wednesday night for you’re brother Bradley.
God bless you
Xxx Carole
Heavenly Father we pray for the suicidal and the despairing that they be given hope, time and healing before they harm themselves or others, we ask this according to the measure of your mercy for those Your Son names before your throne, and I name Bradley Harde. Amen.
Praise God, Donna. And thank you Carole for your link to the Wailing Women and for your comment about my cousin which I forgot to thank you for at the time. God bless you.
Thanks David, please join me as i pray this prayer for my sweet Country SIERRA LEONE
Lord God of Jeremiah, I recognize that You, and You alone, are the great Creator, and that You, and You alone, took upon Yourself my sin and wrong when You suffered on the Cross. I weep over my sin and over the sin of SIERRA LEONE. May I, like Jeremiah, proclaim Your Truth and Your Mercy to SIERRA LEONE in a way that people can understand. I pray in the Name of the Saviour Who wept over the needs of all people in SIERRA LEONE, the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen!!!
Amen Amen Margaret M
So happy to hear from you folk. I was glad to hear of Donna’s wood supply. I knew it would be coming. God wouldn;t leave you in a dangerous situation. I pray for others, David’s sister too that she be set free of the pain. Give the pain to Jesus and let Him carry it for you. My sister Donna also needs prayer. She is alone in her room. Her roommate died suddenly and they were very close. I pray or all the other in the nursing home who are sick.- they cannot have visitors. One dear lady will be 107 in March! God bless them all. and all you bloggers and prayer warriors too.
Comfort Donna in her spirit, mind and body as well as others struggling with age in the nursing home, we pray in Jesus’ name! Amen!!