Hudson Taylor was angered by the self-satisfied, hymn singing congregation in Brighton, England, in June 1865. He was so burdened for China that he could not tolerate the cold apathy among Christians. Biographer John Pollock wrote:
“Taylor looked around. Pew upon pew of prosperous, bearded merchants, shopkeepers, visitors, demure wives in bonnets and crinolines, and scrubbed children trained to hide their impatience; the atmosphere of smug sickened him. He seized his hat and left. ‘Unable to bear the sight of a congregation of a thousand or more Christian people rejoicing for their own security while millions were perishing for lack of knowledge, I wandered out on the sands alone, in great spiritual agony.
There on the beach Taylor prayed for “twenty-four willing, skilful labourers” that shared Christ’s burden for the lost in China.
After studying the underlying causes of revival for the past forty years, I have a strong conviction that tears flowing from the eyes of intercessors are the catalyst of revival.
Both the Old and New Testaments record significant incidents where the tears of praying people preceded outpourings of God’s grace and power in bringing about revival blessings.
The great spiritual awakening that took place under Ezra followed the tear-soaked intercession of the godly scribe. In Ezra 10:1 the record states, “Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and woman and children: for the people wept very sore.”
A revival of life-changing, transforming power followed the tears of Ezra.
The intercession of our Saviour is referred to in Hebrews 5:7, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared.”
There are those who scorn at the thought of a man weeping. They see it as a sign of weakness. Yet the strong Son of God wept as He prayed. God heard and sent His Holy Spirit in great power on the day of Pentecost.
The ministry of brokenness preceding revival is evident since Bible days as well.
D. L. Moody would weep in private prayer before standing to minister the Word with great soul-winning effectiveness.
General Booth admonished a young Salvation Army worker, whose work seemed doomed to failure, “Try tears.”
These wept because they loved, and their tears were expressed in their lives.
Is the same depth of love and passion to be found in our pews? We take our altar flowers to the sick following a service of worship, but there are no tear stains on the card. Is it enough to share the beauty of the flowers? Not if we love as our dear Lord loved. We must indeed share the beauty of our Christian experience. Dare we allow our compassion to become submerged in a whirling mechanics of organization?
Many of us can remember when our churches wept over the lost. Many of the finer, bigger churches of today have their roots watered in the tears of Spirit-filled people who “carried a burden” for unsaved society. (Some churches still carry that burden, Praise the Lord!)
Many a triumphant believer’s testimony might well end in the words of David, ” … the LORD hath heard … my weeping” (Psalm 6:8). The Lord hadn’t seen his weeping; He had heard it. David must have been weeping out loud!
Have you shed tears – tears for others? It is time you did. David wrote often of his tears, and David was not a weak man. In Psalm 42:3, David wrote, “My tears have been my meat day and night … ” In Psalm 126:5-6, we read that “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Paul was not ashamed of his tears. He mentioned them again and again in his epistles. In his last talk with the Ephesian elders, he reminded them how he had served the Lord with ” … all humility of mind, and with many tears … ” (Acts 20: 19).
Pastors, evangelists, missionaries, Christian workers, if we are not shedding tears today, may God have pity on our dry eyes! How can we say we are followers of Jesus if we do not weep for others? “GOD, GIVE US TEARS!”