Kris, my daughter Laurel’s boyfriend, uses a small bone at the base of his hand to dial his mobile phone. He is a determined young man who uses quadriplegia to push him to new achievements. Here Leslie and I show my sister Darlene where the “phone bone” is.

This is what the LORD says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded….

So there is hope for your future,”
declares the LORD.
“Your children will return to their own land.” Jeremiah 31:16-17

Jeremiah was the weeping prophet but he was no cry baby. He wept over things worth crying about. He could see beyond the headlines of today into the horizon of tomorrow and knew that dark days were coming. An army would invade, the wall would be broken down, the city would burn, people would die and exiles would march.

What set Jeremiah apart from everyone else, was that he cried while others laughed, but then he also could laugh when others cried. While Jerusalem was going to Hades in a shopping bag, Jeremiah took time to be concerned. Later, when the invaders were at the gates, Jeremiah could see light ahead while the city under siege was suffocated under the smog of fear.

I read on a church sign somewhere the quote: Tears are the prism through which we see the face of God. I wonder if Jeremiah’s tears were what washed his eyes so that he could see hope ahead. Yes, Jeremiah cried a lot, but he didn’t cry forever. He wept over what needed to be wept about, and he cried for a nation not just for one person. But tears brought their reward of a fresh outlook.

When we have prayed about a concern for days, months or even years there can come moments that are quite peculiar. Outwardly we can see little evidence for joy. But like the clean atmosphere after a night’s rain, so our tears have opened our eyes to hope. Our work of prayer will be rewarded. Our children will return home to the Lord. Exile will come to an end. There will be hope for our future.

Hope is a wonderful thing for it gives us permission for joy, praise and thanks even in dark times. Disappointments of life make us suspicious of hope. We warn each other about hope by saying, “Don’t get your hopes up.” We must listen to God’s command: restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears. Hope gives us permission to smile. Do we know exactly what and how it will happen? No. But we know that many glad and happy surprises come to those who wait on the Lord.

Father, today, I step aside to give way to hope. There are times the very act of asking you for help can keep us from seeing the answer. Today I choose to live in hope. Do I know what hope will unveil? That’s like guessing Christmas presents. Instead I am confident that good things are yet to come. My hope has reasons in you and I’m trusting you reward all the tears that have been shed. Amen.