“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more. Thus says the Lord: ‘Refrain your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded,’ says the Lord, ‘and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope in your future,’ says the Lord, ‘that your children shall come back to their own border.’” Jeremiah 31:15-17

Weeping For Our Children

If you have raised children to adulthood, or even know anyone who has, you know the feeling being described in the above verses.

It is excruciating to wait for a daughter to return from a first date, or a son to return from his first solo drive. It is far worse to expect a call from the police at any moment because your child is a runaway, or drug addict, or in some kind of trouble. And the very worst scenario is that your child has died or been kidnapped. Many of us reading this today have experienced these very things. We have felt the tremendous burden of fear and anguish of knowing our child is walking the wrong path, has been taken captive by the enemy, and is destroying his or her own life.

You want to climb out of the pain, get as far away as you can from what is happening. You want everything to go back to normal. You want God to swoop down and fix it. Bring them home. Shake some sense into them. And above all, you beg Him to save their lives.

God hears this cry. He knows why we are bitterly weeping, why we cannot be comforted by mere words. He addresses this intense longing for our children’s salvation as from one experienced parent (Him) to another (us).

We put so much effort, love and time into rearing our kids that, if they stray, we wonder if it was all for nothing. He tells us to hold back our tears (though He understands if we cannot) because there is hope: one day, everything will change. Our work shall be rewarded! Our children will come back from the land of the enemy, to the land we cultivated for them—the values we instilled, the faith we exhibited, the memories and traditions we enjoyed together as a family.

Some might say that this is being taken out of context—that this only applies to God bringing back His children to their homeland. But in this, surely we can see the Father’s heart to do good to our children and relieve the suffering of the parents.

I’m certain there are many of you saying, “You don’t know my kid. You don’t know my situation.” True enough. But I remind you that it is the Father’s character to do good, to restore, rebuild, return, and redeem. Pray for your children, for it is His will that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

I am not oversimplifying, saying that there is a guarantee against our children making their own foolish choices. But God knows the way that they take (Job 23:10), and we always have the weapon of prayer. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Be comforted from your weeping: God fights for our children! “…For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children” (Isaiah 49:25b). This is a promise!

You are the Shepherd who brings back the lost sheep. Bring our little lambs back into the fold of Your family. We rely on You completely. Amen.