A Song for my Soul: Tears on Your Face

Music has the ability to speak into the deepest recesses of our hearts. God often uses songs to speak hope and encouragement to our souls. In this series, Hope Moms share songs that have pointed them to the hope of Christ in the midst of their grief.

I had this album pre-saved on Spotify for months before it released  in August of 2021. Bethany Barnard has been a favorite of mine for years. Back in the early 2000s (when she was still Bethany Dillon), weren’t we all listening to “Beautiful,” “All I Need,” and “For My Love” on repeat? Then in the mid-2000s, her music continued to walk with me through so many seasons of faith and life. She married Shane Barnard of Shane & Shane, they had children, and she wrote “You’re the Best Song”, and I would cry singing it over my living children. So, when she announced an entire album titled All My Questions, written about suffering and grief, I knew: this one was for me!

One song in particular, “Tears on Your Face,” was soon on repeat. Written out of her own season of loss, depression, and unanswered questions, Bethany rooted this song in John 11, the story of Lazarus, where Jesus Himself stands outside the tomb, fully knowing resurrection is coming, yet still weeps with His friends. That image of God incarnate, with tears streaming down His face, reminds us that our Savior is not distant from our pain. He enters into it.

Bethany begins the song with these lines:

This is where no word fits /
This is the broken heart in my chest /
This is the wave building /
This is the crashing on the shore again.

Isn’t that what grief feels like? A heart that doesn’t have words. A wave that keeps crashing again and again. The ache that won’t let go. John 11:32 tells us Mary felt the same. She fell at Jesus’ feet and cried out: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” How many of us have whispered something similar? “Lord, if You had been here… if You had answered differently… my baby would still be alive.”

Scripture tells us in John 11:33–35: “When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.” Jesus knew He was about to raise Lazarus. He knew the ending of the story. And still, He stopped to weep.

Bethany gives voice to this tender truth:

But You, Son of Man /
Love incarnate /
You don’t see from far away /
You come, sit with me /
And grieve with me /
And I see tears on Your face.

Friend, hear this: Jesus does not remain far off. He does not shame you for crying or rush you through sorrow. He sits with you. He shares your tears.

Later, Bethany sings:

I’ve gotta reconcile that /
You don’t fast forward me through this /
And I’ve gotta reconcile that /
You want to know me when I’m like this /
And I’ve gotta reconcile that /
You didn’t change the diagnosis /
And I’ve gotta reconcile that /
You’ve reconciled it all in Your flesh.

Martha and Mary had to reconcile this too. Jesus didn’t stop Lazarus from dying. He didn’t prevent their heartbreak. But He revealed something deeper, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

Our babies are still gone. Our arms are still empty. But we cling to the truth that Jesus has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 8:17), and through His death and resurrection (Romans 6:4–5, 1 Corinthians 15:3–4), He has already begun undoing death itself (1 Corinthians 15:54–55, 2 Timothy 1:10). This is how we reconcile that in our own lives.

If you are a grieving mom reading this, hear this:

• Your tears matter. They are seen by Jesus, honored by Him, and even mirrored on His own face.
• Your grief is not rushed. Just as He lingered with Mary and Martha, He is patient with you.
• Your story is not over. The One who raised Lazarus promises resurrection life to all who belong to Him.

Jesus, thank You for being the God who weeps with us. Thank You that You do not minimize our pain or rush us through grief, but You sit with us in it. For the mom reading this who feels undone, would You draw near to her today? Help her to sense Your presence in the quiet ache, to know that she is not abandoned, and to trust that You hold both her sorrow and her hope. Amen.

Friend, maybe today you need the reminder that your tears are safe with the Savior. Would you take a moment to listen to this song, open your Bible to John 11, and let His compassion meet you there? You aren’t alone. God is with you. Our community exists so no mom has to walk through this valley by herself. If you need prayer, encouragement, or just a safe place to say your baby’s name out loud, please join us over in our private Facebook Community Page. We are here for you.

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?’” (John 11:25–26)

With love and hope,
Jennie

Jennie is the Executive Director for Hope Mommies. She and her husband Brian live in Oregon and have four children together— Trenton, Paige who has been in Heaven with Jesus since 2010, Mason, and Cora. If you were to knock on her front door today, you’d find her in something comfortable drinking a hot cup of tea, while trying to figure out how to balance all the things that make up a life. She enjoys spending time in God’s word, fresh flowers, board games with her kids, cooking, and evening walks in her neighborhood. She adores being a new creation in Christ and prays she reflects Him well on this earth.