20 Bible Verses About Tears – God Cares!
Science tells us about three types of tears.
- The Basal Tears – they are always present to make sure our eyes don’t get dry.
- The Irritant Tears – They are caused because of external influence, for example, dust particles.
- The Emotional Tears – The Emotions that we experience trigger emotional tears. Our pain, grief, empathy, even extreme joy or gratitude can bring tears.
Tears are what our heart speaks when our lips cannot describe how much we’ve been hurt.
Unknown/Queteistan.com
It is the emotional tears that the Bible talks a lot about. Even Jesus, God incarnate, was well acquainted with pain and tears during His life on earth. He knew the overwhelming pain of loss and heartache.
His response?
Jesus wept.
John 11:35
In the midst of deep heartache, we may sometimes be tempted to think that God doesn’t care, but the many Bible verses about tears show that this simply is not true. God cares. He always cares about our pain and sorrows. He desires good for us, not heartache. (Romans 8:28)
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What Does the Bible Say About Tears?
The Bible is full of stories about people. Real-life people who experienced the same range of emotions that we experience and sometimes maybe more. Where people are, there will be pain, suffering, brokenness, and joy. And there will be tears.
For example, King David, the man after God’s own heart, cries out, saying,
My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
Psalms 42:3
What Do Tears Symbolize in the Bible?
The Bible has a lot to say about tears. There are many Bible passages that depict a wide range of emotions that the people experienced.
Scripture does not treat tears as a sign of weakness, though. Rather, Bible verses about tears teach us that tears are helpful in many ways.
- Our tears symbolize our helplessness and dependence on God.
- Our tears seek God’s comfort in our pain.
- Our tears express our joy and gratitude towards God.
- Our tears show a heart of repentance.
- Our tears intercede for others.
- Our tears are an unspoken prayer to God.
- Our tears are anticipation for rewards in future.
- Our tears express our genuine feelings which can’t be expressed by words alone.
Tears express our genuine feelings which can’t be expressed by words alone.
Bible Verses About Tears – God Cares
Tears in the Bible verses explicitly show God’s unfailing care for us. He is a God of comfort. Our emotions move Him, whether they are of pain or joy. In the Bible we read wonderful stories of people who did not keep back their tears from God.
Here are several Bible verses about tears showing that we need not seek to hide our tears from our Father.
King David and his people cried.
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep.
1 Samuel 30:4
The prophet Jeremiah cried on behalf of the people.
Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.
Lamentations 2:11
King David, the man after God’s own heart, cries out in his distress, saying,
My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?
Psalms 42:3
Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears.
Psalms 39:12a
What is God’s response to such cries of His children? Does God really care?
Yes! He sees. And He cares!
God Sees Our Tears
The Bible tells us that God sees our tears. He is not unaware of the pain, hurt, anxiety, and hopelessness that we sometimes experience.
In 2 Kings, we read the story of King Hezekiah. He is in urgent need and cries out to the Lord. And God tells Hezekiah, I have seen your tears, in this Bible verse…
Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.
2 Kings 20:5
This blessed promise of God to Hezekiah is true for us even today. God assures us of the same truth in this – I have seen your tears Bible verse.
And goes on to promises also, that…
They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Psalms 126:5
For more help growing in your walk with God, you’ll want to be sure to check out all these Practical Ways to Get Closer to God Today!
God Collects Our Tears
What would be the response of our loved ones to our tears? They may offer us a shoulder to cry on, sympathize with us, and comfort us with their words. And some may even wipe our tears away. That is because they love us.
What is the response of our God, who says that He has loved us with an everlasting love? He does not just see or wipe them away, but God collects our tears.
Imagine a person carefully collecting something in a bottle and keeping an account of it. Why would he do that unless the thing collected is extremely precious? That’s how precious our tears are to the Lord. God collects our tears in a bottle scripture tells us!
Look at the beautiful promise of the Lord to David, who cried out to Him. David is assured that all his tears are collected and recorded!
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
Psalms 56:8
Wow! What a beautiful love God has for us. We may not realize the number of tears that we shed, but God does. He collects and records each one. They are precious in His sight.
God Is Moved By Our Tears
There is a story in the Bible about a woman named Hagar. She was a handmaid to Sarai, Abraham’s wife. After some harsh treatment from Sarai, Hagar ran away taking her son, Ishmael, with her. Their water supply soon ran out, and they were on the verge of death.
And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
Genesis 21:16
With her heart breaking, Hagar cried out loudly and wept. The Lord heard her cries and spoke to her out of heaven! And helped her.
And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
Genesis 21:17-19
Hagar might have thought that she was just a no-account slave, a nobody, left alone in the desert to die, but in the midst of her tears, the Lord heard and answered her cry.
Beloved, God is moved by your tears, too. And will deliver you in His perfect will and way.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
Psalms 116:7-8
God Wipes Our Tears Away
The one joyful hope that every child of God has is to be where our Lord is for eternity.
Jesus, Himself promised us…
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:3
What kind of life can we expect there with Jesus? Surely one without tears.
The Book of Revelation gives us wonderful hope and comfort that the Lord Himself will one day in Heaven wipe away every tear from our eyes.
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Revelation 21:4
The Lord who sees and knows all our thoughts from afar is aware of the pain we go through. For some, visible tears don’t come easily. Instead, their hearts alone cry out silently. (1 Samuel 1:15) And God hears.
Whatever you may go through in life today, and whatever the reason for your tears and heart cries, the promises of the Lord are eternal and true. They do not change.
You can take refuge in His care and His promise of wiping every tear from your eye.
Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
Luke 6:21b
God bless.
About the Author – Vandana Chandekar
Vandana is a teacher, blogger, and aspiring author. She loves the Bible and is always excited to share the beautiful comforting truths from God’s Word. You can connect with her at Vandana Building Hope.
