“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”  (Psalm 126: 6 KJV). 

When it comes to advancing the Kingdom of God, the salvation of lost loved ones, the return of our prodigals, the outpouring of revival, and the turning of our nation, one of the most important languages to which God responds to is the language of our tears.  Nothing touches the heart of God more than our tears!  Just as a mother or a father is immediately drawn to the tears of their child, the heart of God is quickly drawn to the tears of His children!

We are not speaking of mere emotionalism but rather the deep, genuine,  heartfelt brokenness and desperation over an impossible and hopeless situation. 
A situation in which there is no solution apart from God’s sovereign intervention.   When genuine tears are shed, they are shed because the heart is broken.  They are shed because there is the recognition that there is no hope outside of God.   They are shed out of desperation!  There is absolutely nothing else that can possibly be done! Our mind, our heart, and our full attention are riveted on God in brokenness and humility. And it is in this position of the heart that the Lord hears and responds.   

We see this exemplified again and again all through scripture from the cry of the Israelites slaves in Egypt (Ex. 3:7), the cry of Israel when they had been overcome by their enemies because of their sin (Judges 3:9), to Hannah  (1 Samuel 1:10)  who wept before the Lord for a child.  In all of these situations, the Lord responded to the language of tears. 

When the South Koreans came to the US in May of this year, one of the most amazing things they did when they prayed for this nation was that they cried out to the Lord with tears.  I must confess that although I have been deeply grieved and burdened over the dreadful, sinful condition of our nation, I have not yet wept over our nation!  Could that be one of the reasons we have not yet seen revival? Could it be that in spite of all the prayer taking place among many of God’s people in  America,  we have not yet come to the place of brokenness and weeping over the condition of our nation?  Could that be one of the reasons that revival has been delayed? 

The question is asked, “How bad will it have to be before we get to that point?”  I don’t know.  But I do know this, I (and we)  have not yet reached that point.  Thus, revival still tarries.  We must humbly ask the Lord to break our heart for what breaks His! 

“And these blessings shall come on thee and overtake thee if thou shalt harken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.” (Deut. 28:2 KJV). 

In this passage of scripture, the Holy One was about to bring a new generation of His people into the land He had promised them.  The previous generation, their fathers,  had died wandering in the wilderness for 40 years because of their disobedience and rebellion against God.  They had refused to believe God in spite of witnessing a  multitude of incredible and powerful miracles in addition to  His continual daily provision in a dry and barren land.  Their disobedience and rebellion were NOT just a one-time event.  It was the FINAL STRAW in a habitual and continual pattern of their unbelief and their unwillingness to trust the Lord (Numbers 14).

This new generation was on the threshold of realizing the fulfillment of what God had promised their fathers.  As they are about to enter in, He gave them both a promise and a warning concerning the next step they are about to take. 

The promise was that IF THEY OBEYED HIM they would experience the blessing of God in EVERY AREA of their life (Deut. 28:1-14).  They would be blessed (happy many times over) in their family, their crops, and their finances and they would be victorious over their enemies.  The warning was that IF THEY WALKED IN DISOBEDIENCE, then they would experience difficulty and hardship in every area of their life. 

The ultimate message was that they would experience joy and satisfaction in life if they obeyed the Lord.  Jesus emphasized this when He said:  “…I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10 KJV). 

If we recognize that the Lord is our source for all that we need and we honor Him, trust Him, and obey Him then He has promised that we will have sufficiency in all things. This is NOT a prosperity gospel.  Rather it is merely the EXTRA benefit that the Lord pours out upon those who have received His great salvation and who genuinely value that gift by walking in love and obedience with Him. Knowing this, why would we want to do anything less?