“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”
Psalm 56:8 NLT
I’m not a “collector,” except for seashells! They remind me of precious moments with God on the beach, so I make sure they’re displayed where I see them often.
God also collects what’s precious to Him—my tears. He keeps track of my sorrows, displaying them where He can see them often. In Hebrew, the sorrows God collects actually means “the wanderings of an aimless fugitive.” David knew about wanderings and the tears that accompany them, and so do I. How often have I wandered aimlessly in fear, all because I didn’t trust my Father? I shed the most tears during those wanderings, and God saves each one in His bottle and records each one in His book.
God’s bottle is not for collecting bugs, but for collecting tears. His book is not for recording my sins, but for recording my pain. Yet why would my painful struggles be precious to God, when it's my own lack of trust that causes them?
I need to peek at God’s showcase today. Perhaps seeing the tears He saved will remind me of His unfailing love and keep me from wandering again. Perhaps seeing the pain He recorded will prove He felt my pain in the past, and wants no more pain for my future!
God collects my tears in His bottle, writes my sorrows in His book,
All because—I am close to His heart!
