Psalm 56:8:
“You’ve kept track of my every toss and turn
through the sleepless nights,
Each tear entered in your ledger,
each ache written in your book.”
Sometimes, when I’m after the feeling of a verse, rather than the precise literal meaning, I just love The Message translation. This is one of those times.
I love what this tells me about who God is. He loves me, I know that. But how much? Enough to keep track of every tear I cry, every sleepless night I’ve ever had. He knows when I am sad, and he cares deeply. I love my daughter, but I sure haven’t kept up with every tear she’s cried! God loves me so much more than I’m capable of loving her, and for me, that is both humbling and mind-boggling.
I’ve seen a whole lot heartache lately. Deep grief. Some in the lives of “real-life” friends, some in the blogs I read. But also as a NILMDTS photographer, I’ve been thrown into the midst of the great pain of strangers. I did not know those parents until we got to the hospital, and they were already grieving the child they knew they would not bring home. My heart breaks for them, and for my friends, and for anyone who has ever experienced such deep grief. But I know that God is there, too, and he is counting every single tear they cry. He is grieving with them. He knows the pain of watching his own child die. Even if they can’t feel it or acknowledge it at the time, God is holding them close through it all.
