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Sheila Mangum Ministries Blog

My Prayer for Your Hidden Tears and Long-Suffering Heart

42 Comments

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)

Father,

You are the Sovereign God with plans of lovingkindness toward your people. You are holy and good. You are the God of infinite grace—merciful and with unlimited power. Your wisdom is unmatched. As I remember Your faithfulness, I feel relief when I lay my burdens before You.

This day, I am concerned for my sister, who I fear is hiding her tears. Her heart’s inner sorrow is real, constant, and turbulent. Tears of unbelief, disappointment, and fear have stung her face and pierced her heart for so long that she refuses to allow another teardrop to fall. Though one just escaped—from the sheer exhaustion of holding the pain inside—she remains adamant in hiding the rest. Though, Father God, I know You see them all. Every tear, fallen or hidden.

There was a day when she would boldly approach Your throne. Now, I am concerned for my friend who is numb and unexpecting of Your goodness. I am sad that her tears and pleas have been cried out, and she feels no strength to keep asking. Her heart feels frustrated, tainted, and torn. I sense Satan has sneakily used her emotions to trick her into believing the lie that barely living in this sin-stained world is her lot in life.

Unholy and doubt-filled words and thoughts, born from her frustration, are popping out of her mouth, so I know they have been crowding her heart. Overwhelmed and burnt-out from the anxiety, my sister feels powerless. She believes her struggles are too complicated, have been rendered unimportant, and are too long-suffering to now be attended to. She feels cheated, sin-stained, and weary from the fight.

The truth is that You have seen, wiped, collected, and remember every tear to be redeemed. Not one will go unaccounted for. Your arms are there to love and protect her. You are holy and patient—her trustworthy avenger. She longs to know her prayers are not muffled or muted, especially when the opposite is true: her burdens, her lack, and the injustice are ever before You.

I pray Your good plans for her will be made known. When an abundance of tears are sown, as the “Tear Collector,” You reap them with purpose. You are the One who purifies every heart from all iniquities and casts them into the sea of forgetfulness. Your love is incomparable and will heal her heart’s stains and the pains deep within. As a Good Father, You will defend her and deliver her from her foes. Others might break their promises, but You keep Your Word. She can trust You even when she feels stuck and forgotten.

Your goodness has no match. Your mercies have no end. Your love for your daughter is set and sealed, and nothing can separate her from it.

My prayer this day is You allow her to know her hidden tears will flow onto Your Mighty shoulders as she pours out her heart to You. I pray this moment together be holy and heart-changing.

I leave my friend here with You to gather up her tears for redemption.

In the Name of Jesus I pray,

Amen and Amen.

Sheila

Leave an AMEN and give a name to your tears for prayer in the comment below!

Comments

  1. Anne says

    Amen God is so GOOD. Thank you for your prayer. I felt like you were here with me and that you knew me personally. Shiela it is nice to have you back.

    Reply

  2. Dalene says

    Amen Amen, thank you Jesus. Thank you Sheila, your prayer is spot on. When I started reading it, I thought “how does she know about all that I am going through and struggling with?!” This year, 2022, marks the 17th year of many, many personal disappointments, many struggles, so many hard times especially financially. The list goes on and on. I am clinging to hem of Jesus’s garment…..His strength keeps me going.

    Reply

  4. Karla Huey says

    Sheila,
    This prayer. Thank you! It was written as if you’ve walked the past 10 years with me. I’ve never stopped believing God or His Word, but I am weary. And fighting back has been tough. Thank you so much for this encouragement.
    I know God’s got what lies ahead!
    May He bless you in ways you recognize are only from Him!
    Karla

    Reply

  14. Anet says

    Thank you dear Sheila for this special reflection of my heart. Please pray for my son and daughter-in-love (daughter in law). They both lost their jobs during Covid. (South Africa) They have a boy of 12 and a baby-girl 8 months old. My prayers and tears are in Father’s bottle.

    Reply

  15. Pamela Kitchen says

    Thank you for this! I have been struggling because I have been praying some time now for a miracle. You see, our home is falling down (literally) and we don’t have good enough credit to borrow enough money to fix it. I’d truly appreciate your prayers that God would make a way for us to repair it.

    Reply

  16. Lisa says

    Amen. Almighty God knows how much I needed this prayer today as I have cried myself to sleep night after night these past few months. After meeting a Christian “ friend” last year who eagerly offered his friendship and promised sharing many things together, turns out his offer of friendship was a selfish one,which when our friendship became inconvenient to him his heart has turned.

    Reply

  19. Natasha says

    Amen. Please keep me in all your prayers. I lost my 18yr daughter to suicide 15 months. It has been unbearable at times. Continue to pray for myself, son and her father healing. Lord knows how many times I have cried and felt like I’m not going to make it. But, everyday I’m fighting the devil and his lies. I know I serve a Mighty God.

    Reply

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