The Prayerful Song of Emotional Tears
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The Universal Language of Tears
The Science of Tears
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God Responds to Our Need
Tears contain three types of hormone-based proteins. The first is prolactin, most commonly associated with breast milk production. When a baby cries, it triggers a hormone that causes the mother's breasts to fill immediately in response to the baby's need.
So it is with God, who reveals Himself in the Bible as El Shaddai. This particular name means the all-sufficient God. In Hebrew, the root word of "Shaddai" is "Shad," which connects to the idea of the sufficiency of breastfeeding. A baby needs absolutely nothing besides breast milk.
The biological illustration is powerful. When we cry to the Lord, it signals God's response to provide for our needs. The maternal love for a child and her desire to comfort and provide for them are depicted through this particular protein.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
And He delivered them out of their distresses.
And He led them forth by the right way,
That they might go to a city for a dwelling place.
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
— Psalm 107:6-9
The second protein-based hormone is Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). According to Wikipedia, ACTH is a diagnostic and therapeutic agent. Our tears contain a diagnostic agent and a prescription for cortisol, a natural steroid that helps strengthen many of our bodily systems in response to stress.
In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
And made me bold with strength in my soul
— Psalm 138:3
Leu-enkephalin is the third protein-based hormone found in tears, a natural painkiller.
Weeping may endure for a night,But joy comes in the morning ...
... You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.
— Psalm 30:5,11-12
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Protein Sound Identification
Breaking this down even further, proteins are made up of amino acids, which leads us to the subsequent discovery of the message in our tears.
"National Geographic" published an article in 2005 describing how scientists assigned musical notes to amino acids in tear proteins for identification. By turning the amino acids into notes, they could comprehend each protein's unique structure through the song they played. The song was based on the sequence of notes assigned to each acid.2 Hearing its musical interpretation revealed what they could not interpret previously.
As it applies to tears, we could apply this: when we cry out to God, it produces a song based on a particular sequence of amino acids expressed in the proteins of our tears. The arrangement enables God to hear the unique structure of our pain, which could not be seen, communicated, or shown in any other way.
Anne Murchison quotes the following relatable idea in Hebrew terms for grief.
"Many Hebrew words for grieving, weeping and lamentation actually mean “to distill”, which means to “separate and change from one substance to another” 3
Could the protein in our tears be converted and distilled (lifted to God) and changed (purified) to a language God can feel and comprehend?
Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our infirmities: For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
— Romans 8:26
When distressed, we are often painfully aware that no one can understand our unique situation or discomfort. Still, we can always know that God completely understands and cares in the most helpful ways, even through the song in our tears.
My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God
— Job 16:20
Our Tears Fight Bacteria
Another notable biological feature of tears is that their chemical composition helps fight bacteria. This fact also illustrates a spiritual truth, as it concerns our spiritual enemies, whose joy is our pain.
When I cry out to You, Then my enemies will turn back; This I know, because God is for me.
— Psalm 68:9
Tears contain lysosomes, which are enzymes that break down organic matter and digest it, much like a cleanup crew. This cleansing aspect illustrates the healing properties of tears, both physical and emotional.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,And He saved them out of their distresses.He sent His word and healed them,And delivered them from their destruction.
— Psalm 107:19-20
An additional note on the physical and emotional benefits of crying is that, according to the "Aging Care" website, in an article titled "Go Ahead, Have a Good Cry," crying lowers blood pressure and reduces anxiety, irritability, and aggression by the reduction of manganese in the crying process 4
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Source: http://mrg.bz/RlvA7j by jppi at morguefile
"Shema" Means God Hears Our Tears
The psalmist took great relief in knowing that his cries entered into the very ears of God.
In my distress I called upon the Lord,And cried out to my God;He heard my voice from His temple,And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.— Psalm 18:6
The comfort that God hears us when we cry takes on extra-special meaning when we consider that God's response involves more than just passive listening.
O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act!
— Daniel 9:19
Charles Swindoll agrees with this thought.
"A teardrop on earth summons the King of heaven."
God's acknowledgment of our tears takes on a deeper meaning in the pictograph interpretation of the Hebrew word for "hear."
The Hebrew word for hearing is "shema." It consists of three Hebrew letters: "sheen," "mem," and "ayin."
The first letter, "sheen," is a picture of teeth representing the idea of chewing or consuming. We observed this phenomenon during lysosomal digestion, as described in the previous section.
The second letter is a "mem," represented by a water symbol. We might picture chaotic ocean waves, which can visually demonstrate the sensation of emotions.
The final letter, "ayin," is depicted as an eye.
Combining all the concepts, we can see God consuming the water (emotions), as recorded in our tears and emitted from our eyes. And in that consumption, He is digesting our pain, diagnosing the situation, making provisions, and administering comfort and healing.
O Lord my God, I cried out to You, And You healed me.
— Psalm 30:2
The Hebrew word for "tear" (דָּמַע dâma) is just a one-letter difference from the word for hear (שְׁמַע shema). Instead of beginning with "sheen," as "hear" does, the Hebrew word for "tear" starts with a "dalet." "Dalet" is pictured as a door. It indicates a pathway through and relates to the idea of transformation. This letter reveals that tears transform our emotions through the water, passing through the door of our eyes.
Hearing involves much more than a mental assent. It leads to the idea of taking another's heart into one's own.
This thought can be applied to our relationships with others. There are times when our hearts ache with the pain of another. God can also use our tears as a form of petition on their behalf.
Oh, that one might plead for a man with God ...
— Job 16:21
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God Is Paying Attention
God's attention to our distress is so great that no molecule of our cry has gone unnoticed. God takes every tear into account.
You make an account my wanderings; Put my tears into your bottle; Are they not in Your book?
— Psalm 56:8
Crying is not useless.
For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;Nor has He hidden His face from Him;But when He cried to Him, He heard.
— Psalm 22:24
An Old Testament Illustration
Chapter one of 1 Samuel provides an excellent illustration of the petition of tears. Hannah, Elkanah's wife, desperately wanted a child. She lived in a time and place that considered childlessness a curse and a shame. It was a woman's greatest pride and joy to produce heirs to her husband's name and continue the family's legacy generationally.
Hannah faced another humiliation at the hands of Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, who bore children for him and ridiculed Hannah.
... therefore she wept and did not eat.
— I Samuel 1:7
Hannah, in her humiliation and desperation, went to the Tabernacle to present her petition to God.
... she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish.
— I Samuel 1:10
How Hannah prayed is very interesting. She does not use her voice.
Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.
— I Samuel 1:13
The story ends beautifully with the answered prayer of a son whom she named Samuel. Samuel means "God has heard." God heard and interpreted Hannah's heart's cry through her tears and fulfilled her need and request.
"No prayer will ever prevail with God more surely than a liquid petition, which, being distilled from the heart, trickles from the eye, and waters the cheek."
"The tears of John, which were his liquid prayers, were so far as he was concerned, the sacred keys by which the sealed book was opened (Rev. 5:4)."
— Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)
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Offer Up Your Tears to God
We live in a culture that is largely uncomfortable with tears, and crying is sometimes viewed as awkward and unproductive. This study reveals that crying offers significant benefits and that God is not the least bit uncomfortable with our tears.
Tears are an altar where we can lay it all before Him and know that He hears, cares, and can move on our behalf.
I would also like to end on this last hope, noting that sorrow will one day flee away when we dwell with God forever, and all things will be made new.
“Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And 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.”
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”
— Revelation 21:3-5
Sources
1answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i4/tears.asp
2news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/10/1021_051021_protein_music.html
2https://www.popsci.com/future-medicine-may-involve-music
3http://www.annemurchison.com/brokenness.htm
4https://www.agingcare.com/articles/reasons-why-crying-is-good-for-your-health-146022.htm#:~:text=Crying%20Lowers%20Blood%20Pressure,heart%20failure%20and%20even%20dementia.
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