You number my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book? When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me. —Psalm 56:8-9, NKJV
Psalm 56 develops more of the insight that helped David’s confidence in God’s mercy. This psalm was written while David was still living in compromise. David said to the Lord, “God, You know I’m wandering. You take notice of my compromises. I’m out of Your will, and my ways are not hidden from You.” Neither are we hidden from Jesus when we hide out in Ziklag. We are not deceiving God when we are stuck in compromise. But after this, David reached for the gold ring of God’s mercy and said, “[You] put my tears into Your bottle; are they not in Your book?” (v. 8, NKJV). David knew that his tears of despair and broken dreams, his tears of disobedience for lying and resisting the prophetic word, were treasured by God. David had many different kinds of emotions churning within him. His tears were of a man who had lied and not trusted the Lord. He had endangered his friends. Yet he still loved the Lord. He wanted to be wholly God’s. He knew that God was scooping his tears up in His hand and storing them in His bottle because our tears of repentance are precious to God.
{ PRAYER STARTER }
Thank You, Father, that none of my ways are hidden from You. See my tears and brokenness, and forgive my disobedient spirit. I love You with my whole heart, and I long to be restored to Your holy presence.
God will reveal Himself as gentle to us when
we are in Ziklag, the place of compromise.
