Tears
1 Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken your might;
come and save us.
3 Restore us, O God;
make your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
4 O LORD God Almighty,
how long will your anger smolder
against the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
6 You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors,
and our enemies mock us.
7 Restore us, O God Almighty;
make your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:1-7

How can we describe suffering that is indescribable? The psalmist found a way when he wrote of having been fed “bread of tears” and of being made to “drink tears by the bowlful” (verse 5).
The Jews had gone through many such times in their history – times of national suffering such as the Assyrian conquest of the northern tribes in 722 BC and the Babylonian conquest of the southern tribes in 587 BC, or times of personal tragedy such as Joseph’s being sold into slavery by his brothers
What are we to do in such times? Whether we brought the circumstances upon ourselves or whether we are the victims of outside forces, the answer is the same: turn to God. The psalmist knows this when he writes “Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel” (verse 1) knowing that we call to a God who listens.
Then we follow where He leads. The psalmist writes of God who sits “enthroned between the cherubim” (referring to the Ark of the Covenant) shining forth “before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh” (verse 2). These were the three tribes who followed directly behind the Ark in the order of march (Numbers 2:17-24).
Finally we wait remembering that God wants to bless us as the psalmist reminds us of the priestly blessing in Number 6: 24-26 (verses 3 & 7):
24 “‘ “The LORD bless you and keep you;
25 the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”‘

Prayer:
• Are you going through a time of tears?
• Is it time for you to turn toward God, to call on Him, to follow where he leads?
Pray to God knowing that He listens.