Room for Tears in Church
This devotional reflects on why people cry in church—babies, grieving worshipers, repentant hearts, and weary leaders. Drawing from Psalm 126, it encourages gospel faithfulness that “sows in tears” while looking toward joyful harvest. It also asks whether our congregations make space for honest emotion, confession, and celebration.
- Church is a place where many kinds of tears can be present—grief, repentance, zeal, and pain.
- Psalm 126 pictures faithful ministry as sowing in tears with hope for a future harvest.
- Healthy churches welcome authenticity and make room for both honesty and joy.
By David Faust
In the past, many church buildings had “cry rooms.” Moms and dads corralled their squirming kids during church services while preachers tried to speak above the babies’ noisy cries and listeners struggled to pay attention (or secretly welcomed the distraction). Frazzled parents tried to cajole their noisy babies into silence, and when unsuccessful, removed them to the cry room for the rest of the service.
Today most churches have well-kept nurseries where friendly volunteers care for little ones, allowing parents to worship without distraction. Maybe you have seen the sign on a church nursery wall containing the out-of-context quote, “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51, New International Version).
Who Cries in Church?
Babies aren’t the only ones who cry in church. Grownups do, too.
Some adults are moved to tears by nostalgia. They remember how things used to be and ponder how things ought to be. Familiar hymns bring to mind simpler times when heartbreaks were fewer and faith came easier.
Others cry in church because of grief. Every congregation contains mourners sorrowing over a loved one’s death. They miss a parent, spouse, child, or friend who used to be near and still remains dear.
The repentant cry in church. Scripture cuts like a spiritual sword. It’s one thing to read “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but another to realize “I” have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. “Godly sorrow brings repentance” (2 Corinthians 7:10).
The zealous cry in church. Unless our hearts have turned to stone, preachers ought to find our own emotions stirred by the biblical truths we teach and by the pressing needs of our flocks. “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor” (Romans 12:11). It helps when other caring shepherds are willing to work, weep, and pray alongside us, as the Ephesian elders did with Paul (Acts 20:37).
Others cry in church because of spiritual pain or church hurt. They want to believe, but Christian leaders and former friends have let them down. Some seekers want more from the church than it’s able to deliver, and worship gatherings leave them frustrated and bored to tears.
Sowing in Tears
Psalm 126:5 mentions “those who sow in tears.” Why would a farmer get emotional about sowing his crop? In biblical times, food was often in short supply, especially by winter’s end when most of the grain stored away already had been eaten. Farmers faced a tough choice: Feed your family now with the seed you have left, or plant in faith, looking toward a future harvest.
Likewise, it takes faith and emotional energy to plant gospel seeds. Jesus was no crybaby, but he wept over Jerusalem’s unbelief and his tears flowed at the grave of his friend Lazarus. The apostle Paul was a strong, seasoned leader, but during his ministry, he “served the Lord with great humility and with tears in the midst of severe testing” (Acts 20:19).
Reaping With Joy
Psalm 126:5 goes on to say those who sow in tears “will reap with songs of joy.” Followers of Christ can say with full-throated confidence, “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (Psalm 126:3).
Is your church a place of spiritual and emotional authenticity where people with rough edges are welcome and it’s safe to ask honest questions? Do your worship services include songs that are both uplifting and thought-provoking? Do you celebrate baptisms and “reap with songs of joy”? Is there room in your church for honest confession of sin, lighthearted humor, and unbridled celebration when a lost sheep returns to the flock? Can you be yourself and come before the perfect God just as you are?
Is there room in your church for tears?
This is the third in a series of articles based on selected verses from the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134).
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Married for Good.
Author: David Faust
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
