The phrase "What does God do without tears" generally refers to the promise in Christian scripture (Revelation 21:4) that in the afterlife, God will wipe away all tears, meaning suffering, pain, and sorrow will end, and believers will experience eternal joy and peace, a state where tears are no longer needed, though God Himself is depicted as feeling deep compassion and even weeping for humanity's suffering. In this transformed state, tears are replaced by divine love and purpose, signifying a complete absence of earthly grief, not a lack of divine feeling.
Revelation 21:4: "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." - This verse reminds us that God will wipe away our tears and bring an end to suffering.
Joshua 24:14–15 Reminds Us to Serve God
And then for us to pray that God would save us from idols in our country. We must decide if we will serve God or ourselves. Let's do that. God, we start this prayer by saying you alone are God.
In this light, tears are far more than a response to pain; they are sacred. They allow us to confront our brokenness while opening the door to God's restoration. They invite us to bear one another's burdens and to glimpse the compassionate heart of God, who is always near to the brokenhearted.
And we will laugh and we will celebrate forever. So is there sorrow in heaven, in the temporary spiritual heaven before Jesus comes back? Yes, Revelation 6, but in the eternal new heavens and new earth, no, no mourning or crying or pain for the old order has gone.
He is aware of your affliction and suffering. Each tear we cry has meaning to our Father God. He keeps track of all our sorrows just as carefully as if He were gathering each tear and placing it in a bottle for His remembrance. Not one tear you cry is unnoticed by God.
Yes, says the Bible. “You keep track of all my sorrows,” a man named David wrote of God in Psalm 56. “You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book,” (Psalm 56:8).
However they arrive, tears remain a biological gift from God. They put us in touch with essential things that we know to be dear or wrong. And those things have a way of taking up residence in our hearts, often drawing us inadvertently closer to God.
He sees how we suffer, and He is near to us in our suffering. No tear that you have cried has gone unnoticed by your heavenly Father. John 11:35 says very succinctly that “Jesus wept.” He has entered into our suffering and the God-man has shed tears with those whom he loves. He has suffered with us.
When we feel like we've been forgotten or left behind, we can express it openly. And then we can remind God of His promises to us. We can echo right back to Him the things He has said to us. The idea of reminding God of something may sound strange — after all, He is God, and He doesn't forget the things He has told us!
That seems to be a very common way of taking this verse. The holy things and the pearls represent the things of God, perhaps the gospel itself. The dogs and pigs represent hostile, unworthy people. And so the statement translates into something like this: Do not preach the things of God to hostile, unworthy people.
Proposition: Joshua stayed young and vibrant spiritually until he died at 110. In his final words he warns those in the Promised Land not to backslide and turn away from God, His warning also applies to Spirit filled, Baptized believers in our day.
Application in Modern Context
In our fast-paced and often chaotic world, Joshua 24:14-15 invites us to pause and reflect on our own spiritual journey. It prompts us to evaluate our priorities and recommit ourselves to serving God with sincerity and passion.
- Psalm 126:5 Our tears are not futile. God knows each of His children intimately, and every tear we shed has meaning to Him. He remembers our sorrow as if He kept each tear in a bottle. In the end, He will share His Joy with us when “'He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
This psalm is simply titled A Psalm of David. This is one of what are commonly known as the Imprecatory Psalms, which in strong terms ask God to defeat and destroy the enemies of His people. As you read through the book of Psalms, the Imprecatory Psalms become more intense.
Psalm 56:8 tells us that God keeps a record of our tears, so when you think He only remembers your mistakes, remember this instead: "Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll—are they not in your record?" (NIV). Yes! He knows each tear we shed!!
Living a life marked by God means embracing His identity, walking in obedience, and fulfilling His purpose with faith and courage. It means being led by the Holy Spirit, loving others well, and standing firm in your faith.
The biggest unforgivable sin varies by faith, but in Christianity, it's often seen as blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, a persistent rejection of God's grace, while in Islam, the gravest unforgivable sin is shirk, or associating partners with God, if not repented. Pride is also considered a foundational, serious sin across many faiths, linked to the downfall of figures like Satan.
God allows suffering because He is loving, powerful and wise. People suffer because it is the path that we chose. God provided us the freedom to choose and that includes choosing rightly and wrongly. Every time we choose wrongly, there is some form of pain and suffering.
“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). May God speed that day!
There is strength in tears. We weep with gratitude over all the amazing gifts from God that come our way. We cry when we share moments of great elation with others. Tears enable us to get in touch with our deepest feelings. They help us express our grief at endings and the loss of those who are precious to us.
We can be confident that true joy can be found in Jesus because He loves and cares for us. The next time you shed tears, think of our Creator God. Remember how precious each tear is to Him! Not even our teardrops are out of His control.
God cares about your pain, for He chose to endure pain Himself, so that you may have hope today and forevermore. If you'd like to learn more about God's character in our suffering check out The Daily Grace Co.'s Bible study Sacred Suffering | A Study on the Book of Job or the booklet Faith Questions | Suffering.
God Hears You
He even hears our temper tantrums and silent cries. He hears our cries of unhappiness, pain, frustration, exhaustion, and fear. We can be honest with Him. His listening ear is always open to our prayers.
God doesn't promise deliverance from or avoidance of all pain. He does not always intervene to keep us far from hurt or harm. But in the times when we do hurt, he comforts us in the midst of our troubles. Sometimes he bolsters us through the kindness of others.