What does Psalm 56:8 mean?
In hard times, we often worry that God has forgotten us (Psalm 42:9) . David was no stranger to hardship (Psalm 3:1–2), or to fear (Psalm 55:5; 56:1–3). The words used here literally refer to God using a "wineskin" to catch David's tears, suggesting quite a bit of emotion. Yet he knew that God sees all things. Instead of despair, David reacted to fear with faith. He knew that the Lord was aware of his suffering. Here, he describes God's response as tender and caring. God is depicted as counting David's every move and saving each of his tears. This beautifully depicts the Christian idea that God will ultimately redeem all suffering. According to the Bible, no suffering is "wasted" or pointless (Romans 8:28). All evil will be punished (Revelation 20:11–15) and all hurt will be made right (Revelation 21:4) for those who know Christ as Savior (John 3:16, 36).Later in Israel's history, King Hezekiah became terribly ill. He turned his face to the wall, prayed, and wept bitterly. The Lord answered through the prophet Isaiah. God heard Hezekiah's prayer and had seen his tears (2 Kings 20:1–5). The famously short verse John 11:35 has only two words: "Jesus wept." Yet this phrase is full of meaning. God the Creator, in human form, knowing He was about to raise a man from death, still expressed emotion over the pain of human suffering. He felt the sorrow of Lazarus's sisters at the loss of their brother. The Lord knows all about our heartaches, and He cares (1 Peter 5:7)!
