Weeping with Those Who Weep
Month 11: Standing Firm in a Tough World · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: Romans 12:15 & 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. — Romans 12:15
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. — 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Memory Verse
“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.”— Romans 8:28 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Galatians 1–3
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 320 of 365 — Paul defends the true gospel of grace that comforts every burdened heart.)The Heart of It
This week we've learned how God comforts us in our troubles. Today we turn it outward, because that's what love does. Paul gives a short, beautiful command. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep" (). Loving others isn't only about fixing their problems. It isn't only about finding the perfect words. Often the most loving thing is simply to be sad with a hurting friend. When someone is crying, we don't rush in with "look on the bright side" or "at least…" We sit down. We listen. We let their pain matter to us. That's how Jesus loved. At His friend Lazarus's grave, He knew He was about to raise him. And still, "Jesus wept" (). He felt it.
And here's the wonderful pattern Paul shows us. God "comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God" (). Do you see it? God doesn't comfort us so we can sit in a cozy little circle by ourselves. He pours comfort into us so it can pour through us to others. The hard things your family has walked through become a gift. They make you tender. They make you able to come alongside someone else who's hurting. This is one of the ways God works "all things together for good" (). He turns even our pain into a tool for loving people well.
Around the Table
When a friend is crying, we can be sad with them and give them a hug — that's how we love like Jesus!
Let's do it: Practice a "kind face" and a gentle hug for a sad friend.
Sometimes love means just listening and being sad with someone. You don't have to fix it or cheer them up too fast.
Let's talk: When you've been sad, what did someone do that really helped? What didn't help?
God comforts us so that we can comfort others. Even your hardest experiences can become a way to love hurting people.
Let's go deeper: Who do you know that's going through something hard right now? What's one real way you could "weep with" them this week?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's something kind someone did for you on a really bad day? Could you do that same thing for someone else this week?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Some people picture Christians as harsh or out of touch. But the call to "weep with those who weep" has shaped how believers built hospitals, hospices, and orphanages for two thousand years. A faith that produces real, costly compassion for the suffering points to a real and loving God behind it. And that compassion itself is part of giving an answer with gentleness ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Comfort that stops with us turns sour. Comfort that flows through us turns into ministry. Paul calls God "the God of all comfort," and then he explains its purpose. It's meant to be passed on (). Teach your kids to read their own pain as preparation. The child who lost a grandparent can someday comfort another grieving friend better than anyone. Practically, train them in the lost art of presence. They don't need perfect words. They just need a willing heart and a closed mouth. And model it yourself. When your children see you drop what you're doing to sit with a hurting neighbor or grieve honestly with a friend, you're teaching a sermon on love that no lecture could match. Make your home a place that runs toward the hurting, not away.
Draws on: Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for comforting us so we can comfort others. Give us tender hearts that notice hurting people and the courage to come close. Make our family a place of real love. In Jesus' name, amen."
God doesn't comfort me just for me. He comforts me so His comfort can flow through me to others.