When Faith Hurts, Keep Sowing
Have you ever had your heart broken, your dreams shattered, or your plans crushed by reality? If so, you may understand what it means to walk through a season of tears while still trying to hold on to faith.
Perhaps you are praying for someone in your family. Maybe you are dealing with conflict at work. Perhaps you are facing disappointment, loss, uncertainty, or a difficult season in your life. You may even look at the news and wonder where everything is heading.
Yet, there is hope.
As a Christian writer and teacher of biblical truth, I want to remind you of something important: your tears do not mean your faith has failed. Sometimes, tears become part of the soil in which faith grows.
That truth takes us to one of the most encouraging passages about faith in difficult times—Psalm 126.
The psalm remembers a season when the people of Israel experienced restoration after captivity. They had known sorrow, loss, and displacement. Yet, the story did not end with their tears. It moved toward restoration and joy.
The King James Version says:
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”
— Psalm 126:5
That short verse carries a powerful message for anyone walking through hard times, grief, disappointment, or uncertainty.
You may be crying today.
Nevertheless, keep sowing.
You may not see the harvest today.
Nevertheless, keep believing.
You may feel exhausted.
Nevertheless, keep doing what the lord Jesus Christ has placed before you.
Because tears do not cancel the harvest.
Psalm 126 Begins With Restoration
First, notice where Psalm 126 begins.
The psalmist looks back at what happened when the Lord brought His people back from captivity. The people described the experience as being almost unbelievable. Their sorrow had turned into laughter. Their mourning had turned into singing.
That matters because Psalm 126:5 does not stand alone.
The verse about sowing in tears comes after a story of restoration.
In other words, the people had already experienced the lord Jesus Christ turning an impossible situation around.
Therefore, Psalm 126 gives us a pattern.
Tears can come before joy.
Waiting can come before fulfillment.
Sowing can come before harvesting.
Difficulty can come before restoration.
The process may be painful, but the process is not necessarily pointless.
Tears Are Not a Sign That You Have Lost Your Faith
Sometimes Christians feel guilty because they cry.
They think strong faith means never feeling sad. They think trusting the lord Jesus Christ means they should never become discouraged.
However, Scripture presents a different picture.
Faith does not mean pretending that pain does not exist.
Faith means bringing your pain to the lord Jesus Christ while continuing to trust Him.
You can cry and still pray.
You can hurt and still worship.
You can feel disappointed and still believe.
You can have questions and still walk forward.
You can be tired and still take the next faithful step.
Therefore, Christian encouragement during hard times should not tell hurting people to simply “get over it.” Instead, biblical encouragement reminds us that the lord Jesus Christ meets us in the middle of our struggles.
Your tears tell a story.
However, they do not have to write the ending.
What Does It Mean to Sow in Tears?
So, what does sowing in tears actually mean?
It means continuing to plant good seeds even when circumstances make you want to stop.
For example, a mother may keep praying for her children even when she does not see immediate change.
A husband may continue showing patience during a difficult marriage.
A worker may continue treating people with kindness despite workplace frustration.
A believer may continue serving even when nobody seems to notice.
A person experiencing disappointment may continue choosing faith instead of giving up.
These actions represent sowing in tears.
You may not feel strong while you do them.
You may even cry while you do them.
Nevertheless, you are still sowing.
And that matters.
Psalm 126:6 continues the thought:
“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
Notice the phrase “bearing precious seed.”
The seed still had value even when the person carrying it was crying.
Likewise, your obedience still has value when you feel discouraged.
Your prayer still matters when you feel tired.
Your kindness still matters when someone does not appreciate it.
Your testimony still matters when you feel like nobody is listening.
Your faith still matters when you cannot yet see the harvest.
The Problem: We Often Quit Before the Harvest
Here is the problem many of us face.
We want the harvest, but we do not want the season of sowing.
We want joy without waiting.
We want restoration without endurance.
We want answers without trusting the process.
We want results immediately.
However, farming does not work that way.
A farmer plants before seeing the crop.
Then the farmer waits.
Next, the farmer waters and protects the field.
Eventually, the seed grows.
Finally, the farmer harvests.
Therefore, faith and perseverance require patience.
The apostle Paul expressed a similar principle in Galatians 6:9:
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Notice the words “if we faint not.”
That means quitting can interrupt our participation in the process.
So, if you are walking through a season of tears, do not confuse delay with denial.
The seed may be underground.
The roots may be developing.
Growth may be happening where you cannot see it.
Your Tears Can Become Part of Your Testimony
Consider someone who has experienced a painful season.
Maybe they lost a job.
At first, they felt rejected.
Then they prayed.
Next, they kept applying.
Meanwhile, they encouraged other people who were also struggling.
Months passed.
Eventually, a new opportunity opened.
The new position was not simply another paycheck. It gave them an opportunity to use their experience to help others.
Looking backward, they could see something they could not see while crying.
The painful season had developed patience.
The waiting had developed endurance.
The disappointment had developed compassion.
The tears had helped prepare the soil.
That does not mean every painful situation automatically produces the exact outcome we want.
Instead, it means the lord Jesus Christ can work through our difficult seasons and bring purpose, maturity, compassion, and spiritual growth from them.
Therefore, trusting Jesus during difficult times means trusting Him even when you cannot see the complete picture.
Sometimes You Sow Seeds You May Never See Grow
Here is another important lesson.
You may never personally see every result of what you sow.
A parent may teach a child a Bible verse that the child remembers decades later.
A friend may offer one word of encouragement that changes someone’s direction.
A Christian may share the gospel with someone who eventually shares it with another person.
A simple act of kindness may influence someone more deeply than you realize.
Therefore, do not measure the value of your obedience only by immediate results.
The farmer does not dig up the seed every morning to see whether it is growing.
Instead, the farmer trusts the process.
Likewise, we must learn to trust the lord Jesus Christ with the harvest.
What Are You Sowing Today?
Now, stop for a moment and consider your own life.
What are you sowing?
Are you sowing patience?
Are you sowing forgiveness?
Are you sowing prayer?
Are you sowing kindness?
Are you sowing biblical truth?
Are you sowing encouragement?
Are you sowing generosity?
Are you sowing faith?
Or have disappointment and frustration caused you to stop planting?
Perhaps you have been praying for a family member for years.
Perhaps you are waiting for a breakthrough.
Perhaps your dream has taken longer than expected.
Perhaps your current season looks nothing like the future you imagined.
Even so, keep sowing good seeds.
The harvest belongs to the lord Jesus Christ.
Tears Do Not Make Your Seed Worthless
Imagine a farmer standing in a field during a storm.
The farmer looks at the dark clouds and wonders whether the crop will survive.
The rain falls.
The ground becomes muddy.
The farmer gets soaked.
Yet the seed remains in the soil.
The farmer may not see what is happening underneath the ground.
Still, something is happening.
Likewise, your tears may make today feel dark.
But darkness does not automatically mean nothing is growing.
Sometimes, growth happens quietly.
Sometimes, faith grows when nobody is watching.
Sometimes, endurance develops during seasons when you receive no applause.
Sometimes, your deepest spiritual lessons come through moments you would never have chosen.
Therefore, do not despise the season simply because it hurts.
Instead, ask:
“Lord Jesus Christ, what are You teaching me while I walk through this?”
The Bible Does Not Promise a Life Without Tears
We should also remain accurate when we talk about faith during difficult times.
Psalm 126 does not teach that every painful situation will immediately disappear.
It does not promise that every dream will happen exactly as we imagined.
It does not tell us that every prayer will receive the answer we expect.
Instead, it gives us hope that sorrow does not have the final word.
The psalm moves from captivity to restoration.
It moves from tears to joy.
It moves from sowing to harvest.
And that gives suffering believers something precious: hope.
The lord Jesus Christ does not ask us to deny our pain.
He calls us to trust Him in the middle of it.
Jesus Understands Tears
Furthermore, the life and ministry of the lord Jesus Christ show us that tears are not incompatible with faith.
Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus.
He experienced sorrow.
He understood human grief.
He faced rejection.
He experienced betrayal.
He endured suffering.
Yet He continued His mission.
Therefore, when you cry, remember that tears do not make you weak.
They make you human.
What matters is what you do while you are crying.
Will you stop?
Or will you keep walking?
Will you abandon faith?
Or will you continue trusting?
Will you stop sowing?
Or will you keep carrying your precious seed?
Keep Planting Even When the Ground Looks Dry
Perhaps you are facing a dry season right now.
Maybe your family needs healing.
Maybe your finances have created stress.
Maybe your career feels uncertain.
Maybe you are grieving someone you love.
Maybe your relationships are difficult.
Maybe your spiritual life feels dry.
Maybe you are simply tired.
If that describes you, start with one small step.
Pray again.
Forgive again.
Love again.
Serve again.
Encourage someone again.
Open your Bible again.
Share your testimony again.
Give again.
Believe again.
Then take another step tomorrow.
Faith is often built through repeated obedience.
You do not have to solve your entire life today.
You simply need to carry today’s seed.
Your Harvest May Look Different Than You Expected
There is another lesson we should remember.
Sometimes we imagine a specific harvest.
We pray for one particular outcome.
However, the lord Jesus Christ may work in ways we did not expect.
You may pray for a new job and instead discover a new calling.
You may pray for one relationship to change and instead discover that the lord Jesus Christ is changing you.
You may pray for immediate relief and instead receive strength to endure.
You may ask for a door to open and discover that a closed door protected you from something you could not see.
Therefore, trust the lord Jesus Christ beyond your own expectations.
Your responsibility is to sow faithfully.
His responsibility is to deal with the harvest.
A Simple Four-Step Response to Tears
When you find yourself sowing in tears, remember these four steps.
1. Acknowledge the Pain
First, admit that you are hurting.
You do not need to pretend.
Tell the lord Jesus Christ what you are feeling.
2. Hold On to the Promise
Next, remember Scripture.
Psalm 126:5 says:
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”
Let that truth strengthen your heart.
3. Keep Sowing
Then, identify the good work still in front of you.
Pray.
Love.
Serve.
Forgive.
Encourage.
Teach.
Give.
Keep going.
4. Trust the Harvest
Finally, release the outcome.
You may not know when the harvest will come.
You may not know what it will look like.
Nevertheless, keep trusting the lord Jesus Christ.
Interactive Poll: What Season Are You In?
Take a moment and choose the answer that best describes you today:
A. 🌱 I am planting.
I am beginning something new and trusting the lord Jesus Christ.
B. 💧 I am sowing in tears.
I am doing my best, but this season is painful.
C. 🌿 I am waiting for growth.
I have planted, but I cannot see results yet.
D. 🌾 I am experiencing a harvest.
I can finally see the fruit of something I planted earlier.
E. 🙏 I need strength to start again.
I have become discouraged and need encouragement.
Which one describes you? Share your answer in the comments.
Quick Faith Quiz
Question 1
According to Psalm 126:5, what happens to those who sow in tears?
A. They will never struggle again.
B. They shall reap in joy.
C. They will immediately receive everything they want.
D. They will never experience disappointment.
Answer: B. They shall reap in joy.
Question 2
What does Psalm 126:6 describe the person carrying?
A. A crown
B. A sword
C. Precious seed
D. A treasure chest
Answer: C. Precious seed.
Question 3
What should we do when we become weary in doing good?
A. Quit.
B. Compare ourselves with others.
C. Keep going and trust the harvest.
D. Stop helping people.
Answer: C. Keep going and trust the harvest. Galatians 6:9 connects perseverance in doing good with reaping in due season.
A Personal Challenge for This Week
Now, I want to challenge you.
Choose one good seed to plant this week.
Maybe you will encourage someone.
Maybe you will call a family member.
Maybe you will forgive someone.
Maybe you will pray for someone who is hurting.
Maybe you will share the love of the lord Jesus Christ.
Maybe you will return to a good work you abandoned because you became discouraged.
Whatever you choose, do it faithfully.
Then, do not obsess over the harvest.
Simply keep sowing.
Because Christian perseverance means continuing to do what is right even when the results are not immediately visible.
Your Tears Are Not the End of Your Story
Finally, remember the farmer.
The farmer plants.
The farmer waits.
The farmer works.
The farmer watches.
Then, eventually, the harvest comes.
Likewise, you may be walking through a season of tears today.
But your tears do not define your future.
Your disappointment does not define your destiny.
Your present circumstances do not tell the whole story.
Your unanswered questions do not mean the lord Jesus Christ has abandoned you.
So, keep praying.
Keep loving.
Keep serving.
Keep believing.
Keep sowing.
Keep carrying your precious seed.
And when you cannot see the harvest, trust the One who can.
The King James Version gives us this beautiful reminder:
“They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”
— Psalm 126:5
Therefore, if you are sowing in tears today, do not give up.
Your season of tears is not necessarily your final chapter.
Keep walking.
Keep trusting.
Keep planting.
And keep your eyes on the lord Jesus Christ.
Because sometimes the tears you shed today become part of the testimony you celebrate tomorrow.
There is still hope.
There is still purpose.
There is still seed in your hand.
So, keep sowing.
The harvest belongs to the lord Jesus Christ.
Final Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen everyone who is reading this while walking through a season of tears.
Give them courage when they feel weak.
Give them peace when they feel overwhelmed.
Give them patience when the answer seems delayed.
Help them continue doing good when they become tired.
Help them love when loving becomes difficult.
Help them forgive when forgiveness feels painful.
Help them keep sowing precious seed even when they cannot see the harvest.
Most of all, help them trust You.
Turn their tears into lessons.
Turn their trials into testimonies.
Turn their waiting into spiritual growth.
And, in Your perfect time, let them experience the joy that comes from faithfully following You.
In the name of the lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
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Keep walking. Keep trusting. Keep in step with the Spirit.