Tears | Episode 24 | HIKE Through the Bible

Devotional

Day 1: Tears as the Body’s Shuddering at the Soul’s Pain

Tears are not weakness. They are a physical release for the soul’s deepest anguish, a gift from God to carry what words cannot. Lamentations overflows with raw descriptions of weeping, showing that grief must be felt, not suppressed. God invites His people to pour out their pain, knowing He collects every tear. Even Christ wept, entering fully into human sorrow. To stifle tears is to deny the body’s God-given language of lament. Let them flow as you lean into the One who numbers each one. [05:24]

My eyes flow with rivers of tears because no one is here to comfort me. The Lord is right, for I have rebelled against him. (Lamentations 1:16, ESV)

Reflection: When has withholding tears kept you from fully bringing your pain to God? How might releasing them draw you closer to His comfort?

Day 2: Grievance Toward God as an Expression of Faith

Struggling with God’s sovereignty in suffering is not unbelief. Lamentations names God as the cause of disaster 19 times, yet still clings to Him. To question “Why?” while affirming “He is good” requires fierce trust. Christ Himself cried out in forsakenness, yet surrendered to the Father’s will. Bring your anguished whys to God, not about Him. He can handle your complaints, for even grievance assumes He reigns. [07:29]

He has walled me in so I cannot escape. He has bound me in heavy chains. Though I cry and shout, he shuts out my prayers. (Lamentations 3:7-8, ESV)

Reflection: What unresolved “why” have you been afraid to voice to God? How might speaking it honestly deepen your reliance on His character?

Day 3: The Man of Sorrows Who Walks Our Darkest Valleys

Lamentations 3’s suffering “man” foreshadows Christ—mocked, prayer-shut out, darkness-enveloped. Jesus didn’t merely observe grief; He became its companion. His resurrection proves sorrow is not final, but His scars remain. When you walk paths you’d never choose, you tread where His feet have bled. Every tear softens your heart to recognize Emmanuel: God with us in the shadows. [12:31]

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. As one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. (Isaiah 53:3, ESV)

Reflection: How does Jesus’ specific suffering (mockery, unanswered prayer, darkness) meet you in your unique grief?

Day 4: Mercies New Every Morning When Heaven Feels Distant

Lamentations’ hope isn’t ethereal future glory but tangible daily grace. “Morning mercies” sustain when eternity feels irrelevant to today’s ache. Like manna, they cannot be stockpiled—each dawn requires fresh trust. Christ’s resurrection power fuels today’s endurance, not just tomorrow’s relief. Even in unanswered prayers, His presence is the portion that outlasts pain. [10:00]

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)

Reflection: What “mercy for today” can you name when overwhelming sorrow makes tomorrow unimaginable?

Day 5: Comforting Others with the Comfort We’ve Received

Suffering carves hollows in our souls where God’s comfort pools—not for hoarding, but spilling. As Lamentations gives language to communal grief, our stories become cups of cold water for others. Christ’s scars equipped Him to bind wounds; ours become signposts pointing to His healing. The valley of sorrow is where we learn to carry each other home. [48:03]

Blessed be the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may comfort those in any affliction with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4, ESV)

Reflection: How has your grief uniquely prepared you to recognize and walk with others in their darkness?

Sermon Summary

Lamentations gives words to grief. The book opens as a long and loud cry that rises from unspeakable loss. Jeremiah walks through a city reduced to rubble, and the sight breaks his heart. The siege, the starvation, the fall, the occupation, and the destruction of the temple press grief into the lives of God’s people. The text lets tears speak. “Tears are the shuddering of the body at the pain of the soul,” and they are God’s gift because they release what weighs down the heart. Lamentations teaches sufferers to bring every detail of loss into the light of God’s presence among those who love them.

The people in the book confess that God is sovereign. That confession raises hard questions the mind cannot resolve. Even the Lord Jesus cried, Why, and heaven was silent. Lamentations therefore does not hush the believer’s grievance. Chapter 3 stacks up nineteen complaints against the Lord with the repeated he. He has walled me in. He shuts out my prayer. He has filled me with bitterness. Such speech is not unbelief. It is faith wrestling with the God who rules, choosing to speak to him and not about him.

Hope rises in the middle of the book, not by jumping to heaven but by finding mercy for today. The text says, This I call to mind. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. The sufferer’s most urgent question is how to get through today, and God’s love and mercy answer that need with strength that matches the load.

The man in Lamentations stands before the reader as one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath. His voice anticipates Jesus Christ. He is mocked, shut out, and plunged into darkness. Pilate’s Behold the man unwittingly fulfills the chapter’s opening. The Son of God becomes the Man of Sorrows and is acquainted with grief. Because Jesus has suffered, he is able to help sufferers. Because he triumphed in his resurrection, he gives more than sympathy. He gives victory that will one day wipe away all tears. Psalm 30’s cadence holds true. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Any path on which a believer comes closer to Jesus will be blessed, even if it is a path no one would have chosen.

Key Takeaways

1. Tears are a God-given release. Tears do honest work that words cannot carry. They let the body tremble with what the soul feels and so relieve pressure that would otherwise harden the heart. A tender Savior who wept gives permission for sorrow to flow, not to be stuffed. In God’s presence, tears become prayer. [05:24]
2. Grievance can be faithful speech. Naming complaints before God is not betrayal. It is trust that refuses to talk behind his back and insists on bringing the wound to him. Sovereignty makes lament sharper, but it also makes lament meaningful, because the plea is placed where help can come. Lament is faith with its fists open. [06:57]
3. Mercy meets sufferers each morning. Heaven’s final joy can feel far away when pain is fresh, so Lamentations points to the mercies that arrive at daybreak. Strength is portioned, not stockpiled, and God’s faithful love fits the weight of today. Hope grows where memory returns to God’s character rather than circling unanswered questions. [09:29]
4. Jesus is the Man of Sorrows. The voice of Lamentations 3 finds its fullness in Christ, mocked, shut out, and plunged into darkness. He knows the feel of unanswered prayer and the weight of grief, yet he rose, turning night into morning. A suffering world needs a suffering Savior who has also conquered suffering. [12:31]
5. Joy will come in the morning. Psalm 30 is not naïve optimism but resurrection realism. Night is real, and it can feel endless, yet it is timed. God sets an end to darkness, and the dawn he brings is not mere relief but restoration. Waiting becomes worship when fixed on the One who keeps time and keeps promises. [13:34]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:26] - Yearlong Bible hike vision
[00:52] - What grief sounds like
[01:21] - Lamentations as God’s gift to mourners
[01:54] - Jeremiah among the ruins
[02:24] - From Josiah’s reforms to Jehoiakim’s fire
[02:54] - Siege, exile, and a broken people
[03:24] - Five disasters and lost children
[04:23] - Naming losses in everyday life
[04:54] - Tears in Lamentations
[05:58] - God’s sovereignty and unanswered why
[06:57] - Nineteen grievances against the Lord
[08:31] - Bring your complaint to God
[08:59] - Hope for today, not just heaven
[09:29] - Steadfast love and new mercies
[10:28] - Is God really for me
[10:58] - Behold the Man in Lamentations 3
[13:06] - A suffering Savior who triumphed
[13:34] - Joy comes in the morning
[15:01] - Stories of grief and grace
[23:43] - The gospel proves God’s love
[28:15] - The Man of Sorrows knows
[31:50] - Can believers voice grievances
[35:23] - Is suffering God’s anger
[40:14] - Praying when heaven feels silent
[47:28] - Comfort received, comfort given
[49:02] - Next hike preview: Ezekiel 1

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Lamentations 3:21-24 (ESV)
"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'"

Psalm 30:5 (ESV)
"For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."

Isaiah 53:3 (ESV)
"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not."

Observation Questions

Lamentations 3 begins with 19 grievances against God (e.g., "He has walled me in," "He shuts out my prayer"). What does the repeated use of "He" reveal about the writer’s view of God’s role in suffering? [06:57]
How does the structure of Lamentations 3 shift from complaints to hope in verses 21-24? What specific truths about God’s character are emphasized?
In the sermon, tears are called "a God-given release valve for pain." What examples from Lamentations 1-2 show the role of tears in grief? [05:24]
How does Isaiah 53:3 connect the "man of sorrows" in Lamentations 3 to Jesus?

Interpretation Questions

Why might Lamentations focus on God’s daily mercies rather than heaven as the answer to suffering? How does this address the immediate needs of someone in grief? [09:29]
The sermon says, "Grievance toward God is not an act of unbelief." How does bringing complaints to God instead of about Him demonstrate faith? [08:31]
Psalm 30:5 contrasts "weeping" and "joy" as temporary vs. enduring. How does Jesus’ resurrection (mentioned in the sermon) redefine the "morning" of joy for believers? [13:34]
Why is it significant that Jesus experienced unanswered prayer (Mark 14:36) and darkness (Matthew 27:45) like the sufferer in Lamentations 3?

Application Questions

Tears are described as "prayer in God’s presence." What practical step could you take to honor grief instead of suppressing it—like setting aside time to weep or journal? [05:24]
When have you felt tempted to talk about God’s handling of your pain instead of to Him? How could you practice "faith with fists open" this week? [06:57]
The sermon says, "Mercy meets sufferers each morning." What daily habit (e.g., prayer, Scripture, worship) could help you recognize God’s "new mercies" in a current struggle? [09:29]
Jesus’ suffering means He understands grief deeply. How might this truth reshape how you pray or seek His comfort in a specific area of pain? [28:15]
The sermon emphasizes that "joy comes in the morning" through resurrection hope. What tangible reminder (e.g., a verse, song, or symbol) could help you hold onto this promise during a "night" season? [13:34]
How could you support someone in grief by listening without rushing to "fix" their pain, mirroring how Lamentations gives space for raw lament? [15:01]

Sermon Clips

God is not your judge. He is your loving heavenly Father. And there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I just want to say that as clearly and probably as often as as I possibly could. Um I I I think too that we tend always to think of sin in purely personal terms. And the reality is that a great deal of suffering comes from the fact that we live in a fallen world. [00:35:43]

When you grieve, your first question is, "How am I going to get through today?" And heaven is not the answer to that question. God's love and his mercy is. This I call to mind and therefore I have hope. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. [00:09:23]

Because Jesus has suffered he is able to help us when we suffer. A suffering world needs a suffering savior. But we also need a savior who has triumphed over suffering. And the good news is that suffering was not the end for Jesus. He came through it and triumphed over it in his resurrection. And this savior offers himself to you. [00:13:06]

When you pass through the valley of sorrow and loss, you are in a place where Christ can be found. The savior knows what it is to walk sorrow's path, and he is well acquainted with grief. Any path on which you come closer to Jesus will be blessed, even if it is a path that you would never have chosen to walk. [00:13:50]

Believing that God controls all things raises hard questions that we cannot answer. When our Lord Jesus suffered on the cross, he cried out, "Why?" That's Matthew chapter 27 and verse 46. And heaven was silent. [00:06:27]

God's mercy will be sufficient to get you through today. And when you wake up tomorrow, his love and mercy will be waiting for you. Christ will give you the strength you need to match the load you carry at any given time. [00:10:03]

You may find yourself in great darkness. You may feel trapped, weighed down, afraid, and exhausted, and you may feel as if God has turned against you. Well, Lamentations models what you should do. God wants you to bring your grievance to him. [00:08:15]

A friend or a pastor may be able to help you with this, but what matters most is that you tell God the truth about what you are feeling. Don't complain about God behind his back. Tell him your grievance face-to-face. There is no better place to pour out your complaint than in the presence of God. [00:08:35]

So, when the agonized why arises from your soul, remember that Jesus has been there, and that he too had to trust the Father without being given an answer. So, what are you to do with the grievance you may feel toward God? In Lamentations in chapter 3, there are 19 grievances or complaints against the Lord. [00:06:42]

Lamentations puts grief into words, and it models how grieving people pour over every detail of their loss. Help comes from facing the dark corners of your grief and bringing it out into the light of God's healing presence in the company of others who love you. [00:05:40]

And Christ trusts the Father in the darkness and then says, "Into your hands I commit my spirit." So, um another scripture that's that's been really really helpful to me on this, Kathy, is is Psalm 42. You know, why why are you cast down, oh my soul? Why are you so disturbed within me? You know, the churning of the stool of the soul and of the of the stomach. And uh and then the answer is hope in God. [00:41:20]

A lament is a long and loud cry that ascends to God from a person who endures unspeakable pain or loss. You find laments in the book of Job and in the Psalms. And God has given us an entire book of the Bible called Lamentations, which describes in excruciating detail the grief and sorrow that resulted from the destruction of Jerusalem. [00:01:09]

Um you know, in Romans, Paul tells us God shows his love for us and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And it was the realization that God doesn't demonstrate his love in our circumstances. In my good and bad, it's in that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. [00:23:53]

Grief is the painful process of adjusting to the loss of something or someone you love. It may be the loss of a role or a position that brought you great fulfillment. It could be the loss of the physical ability or mental agility to pursue something you greatly enjoyed. Or it could be the loss of a dearly loved person without whom your life will never be the same again. [00:04:18]

one of the things looking back, one of the things that helped me was just not leaving myself to my own thoughts cuz that would never take me to a good place. I had to feed my mind constantly with truth. Whether it was through scripture, through worship songs, through sermons, through books, just constantly feeding my mind with truth to battle where my mind wanted to go most naturally. [00:19:25]

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