The Ministry of Tears

Today I listened to a message by Brother Timothy Copeland: The Ministry of Tears. It really spoke to me and I found a place to pray. He preached with a burden - the key to revival is our tears! There are so many saints who do not pray through. If we don't repent, how can we expect sinners to come to our altars and repent? If the church isn't weeping, how can we expect a revival? The Bible has a lot to say about tears, weeping, and mourning. It scares me to know that we can be so involved with things in the church, but not pray like we should. I don't want to be one of the people that is deceived and thinks they are okay just because the go to church and are involved in doing things, but does not have a right spirit because they don't pray. God forbid!
There are so many verses that talk about weeping! Jeremiah, the weeping prophet says a lot about weeping.

Jer 9:1 Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!

Jer 9:18 And let them make haste, and take up a wailing for us, that our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out with waters.

Jer 13:17 But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD'S flock is carried away captive.

When is the last time you wept over a backslider? We all know somebody that has walked away from God and is in danger of hell fire. It's the will of God that we weep over lost souls. God is looking for people to pray, to travail, but there are not enough! There are few who really get there. I want it to be me that God uses to weep for souls.

Isa 59:16 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him

Great victory comes through intercessory prayer. There are times that I've longed for services to just continue in pre service prayer. Sometimes we get so rushed and in stuck in our routine that we limit God and don't allow Him to have His way. God forbid! We don't know what we will have to face in the future. Is this generation ready to suffer for what we believe? We haven't known persecution and suffering like other generations have. We have had so much freedom, and thank God for it! But if and when that time comes, we will need people who can weep and travail and touch heaven.

Psa 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

How much more would we see happen if we could really get a hold of this? God convicted me today over this. How much I limit God with my own mind. We need vision, and we'll get that through prayer. We need Old Time Pentecost! From a 20 year old, I have heard the great stories of Old time Pentecost and longed to see things like that. They had such a hunger and desire for God. Are all the gadgets and the fast paced society limiting us, distracting us? Even calling the shots for us? I don't want to be swept away in the currents of the world.

Jer 22:10 Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him: but weep sore for him that goeth away: for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.

If you have a loved one or friend who last walked away from God, or never even known God, I encourage you to find a place to weep for them. You could be their only hope. What if God laid a burden on my heart to pray for somebody and I didn't heed the call? What would happen to that person? What if it were me that needed the prayer? I would want somebody to touch God for me. Prayer is hard work and is not always pleasant, but Oh the joy that comes when that prayer is answered! The victories that we will see! It is worth it to travail in prayer.

Joh 16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

God help us in the closing days of time to get a hold of the key to revival - tears.