On Sabbath, March 7, at the Adventist church in Caravaggio, near Bergamo (northern Italy), the director of the local Women’s Ministries department, Gisella Di Dio, and her colleagues delivered the sermon for the International Day of Prayer.
I was deeply moved by the title of the sermon: “God Turns Our Tears into Stars.” I had never thought that the Lord would turn these tears into so many successes. It is natural that, in times of difficulty and suffering, our emotions lead to sadness and tears. But as the sermon pointed out, even the prophets—men and women of God—wept. Jesus himself wept for his friend Lazarus. The key question is whether we believe that Jesus can do everything beyond what we ask for, or whether, like Martha, we doubt, letting ourselves be overcome by our emotions and the moment. Especially when answers are slow to come, we even begin to complain to God. And Jesus repeats to each of us: “But do you believe?” We, too, must do our part, have faith and take action.
Before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus prayed to the Father and thanked Him for answering His prayer. Unfortunately, we often wait for an answer to our prayers and only then give thanks. This really made me think, and from now on I truly want to start thanking the Lord always—even before an answer comes, or if it doesn’t come at all. In fact, I know that God is in control of everything and will certainly do what is best for us. Another thing that did me a world of good was remembering the last time I cried and then bringing it to the Lord in prayer. God knows our hearts, sees our tears, and gives us strength and support so that this weeping may be transformed into thanksgiving and praise to our Lord and Savior.