What if your tears are your assignment?

We all go through trials in life. Hard times are inevitable in the fallen world that we live in.

However, none of our tears are wasted.

Psalm 56:8 says,

You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?

God collects our tears in His bottle and records them in His book. None are lost. None are wasted.

The Redemption of Tears

But here’s where the redemption comes in…our tears can become the anointing for our assignment.

The Purposes of Anointing Oil

Throughout the Bible, oil is used as a symbol of God’s anointing of someone. An anointing isn’t something to boast in, rather it signifies a responsibility to complete a specific assignment.

For example, Jesus quoted Isaiah 61 in Luke 4:18-19 when discussing His assignment from God:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus to fulfill a specific assignment from the Father, and Jesus outlined for us exactly what that assignment entailed.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever. He’s still healing hearts and setting the captives free to this day!

The Many Roles of Anointing Oil

Anointing oil is not only connected to an assignment, but extends to other purposes as well.

Oil is also connected to joy and healing.

Psalm 45 tells us God anointed Christ with the oil of joy. God also promises the oil of joy instead of mourning in Isaiah 61:3.

Oil was also used in healing the sick (Mark 6:13; James 5:14).

Discovering Your Anointing

Oftentimes, we develop a passion in the areas we’ve struggled in. This is what I mean when I say our tears can become our assignment. We desire to help others in the areas we’ve battled through.

Our tears can become the oil God uses to anoint us. The oil to heal and bless others.

Questions for Reflection

To discover what this means for you, ask yourself:

What types of trials have I experienced in my life?
What has the spiritual warfare in my life been targeted at?
What is the opposite of the trial? (Example: health, abundance, joy, peace, purpose, etc.)
How can you partner with God to bring that opposite to others?

Ask the Lord to convert your tears into the anointing for your assignment in order to bless others. Ask Him to pour out His healing oil through your life for the benefit of the people you are called to serve.

A Beautiful Promise

Remember this beautiful promise in Psalm 126:5,

Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy.

May the Lord fill you with fresh oil today!

From Tears to Anointing: Discovering Your God-Given Assignment