5 Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.
Psalm 126: 5-6There are approximately 153 million orphans recorded around the world. According to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund), if orphans were a country of their own, they would be ranked as the 9th largest country in the world!
I usually sleep like a bear. I sleep very well. In fact, it has been amazing to me the intense noise and ruckus that I can sleep through! However, recently I have not been able to sleep at all. Actually, in the last 5 nights I have slept less than 10 hours in total! It’s a new experience for me, to have problems sleeping, and let me tell you how it began!
This past Wednesday, January 2nd, I made my way back here to Guatemala, after getting a few nice days of rest. That night I laid down to sleep, as I regularly do, but this night’s experience was far from regular! As I lay in my bed, waiting for sleep to lead me into a restful night, I began to hear babies crying, and not just crying to get attention, but crying as if they were in great need. It was not just one or two babies, but a multitude of babies! I stepped outside my apartment to look around to see where the crying was coming from, but there was no one around and all was silent. As I slid back into my bed though, the cries began again. I slept not even one second that night. My heart was pierced for what seemed like a multitude of babies, and I was a little confused by the experience.
When I become confused, one of my first responses is to call out to God. As I called out to Him this night, I also heard His cries. He imparted to me by the Holy Spirit that it is the inconsolable grief of God, that there are an estimated 153 millions children orphaned (not including the unbelievable number of the unrecorded ones) in this world, that the greatest cause of death is abortion, that many adults do not care about children, and that our importance of self, self-preservation, and selfishness enables us to live in ignorance to this great need. His tears led me to cry, and cry out for the precious children of this earth (and they ALL are precious!)!
I cried. I cry. And I shall continue to cry.. for there are millions and millions of children who need help, love, food, family, Jesus Christ, home, education, and opportunity! But as I cried that night, just a few nights ago, God reminded me that sowing in tears can lead to reaping in joy! As 2019 is off to a quick start, I am crying and crying out to God to raise up an army of warriors and champions for precious children! I am not perfect, and I have very little influence or impact, but I pray that my tears may lay a path of watered and fertile ground for the lives of a multitude of children to be rescued and loved upon! My tears will not be counted by humans, as before God alone I let them freely roll, but the joy that shall be reaped for the work that I get to join Abogar in doing will be (and has been) amazing! I am sowing in tears! Will you join me?
