Genesis 43:29-31
“After [Joseph] looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, ‘Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?’  And he said, ‘God be gracious to you, my son.’  Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep.  He went into his private room and wept there.  After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, ‘Serve the food.’”

John 11:33-36, 38-39a
“When Jesus saw [Mary] weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked.  ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied.  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’…Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.  It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  ‘Take away the stone,’ he said.”

Isaiah 54:7
“For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.”

God of compassion, your secret thoughts are filled with profound concern for your people.

You allow yourself to be intimate with our emotions but restrain your hand until the chosen moment.  While salvation delays, you acknowledge our bewilderment with tears of your own.

Help us wait in trust and the anticipation of your greater glory.  Do not keep your face hidden in our time of grief.

We ask this in the name of the weeping Christ, who awaits the time when his power will no longer be paused.

Listen to ‘What Wondrous Love is This?’ featuring Matthew Smith