Scripture

Psalm 56:8 NLT

You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.

Consider

When we’ve been hurt in a relationship, we naturally want justice. We may seek punishment for the offender, compensation for our injury, or an apology for what we have suffered. Perhaps more than anything, we want to set the record straight. We need the relief of saying out loud what happened to us and to know that our truth has been heard, believed, and valued by another human being.

Some injuries are so well hidden that we never speak about them and carry our pain silently. Injuries that happen in secret and cannot be proven, such as childhood incest or domestic abuse, often carry a shaming message that keeps us from telling anyone. Other injuries may have occurred so long ago that we have forgotten them; we carry only a vague uneasiness that something wrong in our past has never been righted.

Psalm 56 tells us that even if you have never told a living soul about that hurtful event in your life, even if you yourself cannot remember exactly what happened, Someone Knows. Someone was there with you, living your pain with you, and keeps the memory for you.

In his psalm David tells us that God cares so deeply and intimately for each of his children that he knows and writes down every pain, every confused and frightened moment we experience. Each tear is so precious that he catches it and keeps it carefully.

At times we may despair that God has abandoned us to bear our pain in friendless solitude. This psalm reassures us that not only is God ever near to us, his love is so deep and faithful that he hears, believes, and values our anguish. In fact, he is careful to mark it down in the book of our lives that he treasures. He folds us into his arms, catches our tears, and patiently waits for us to hear his whispered endearments and receive the healing comfort of his love.

Pray

Faithful Father, you know all my secret hurts. You saw me before I was formed; you know the intricate twists and tunnels of my heart, and you will be there to wipe away the last of my tears when Christ comes again in glory. Thank you for your love that never fails me even though I may fail to recognize it.

Reflect

Isaiah 53:4-5; Revelation 21:3-4

Ponder

What does it mean to me that God has been a loving witness to every painful event in my life?