Restored!

A devotional of Psalm 126

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

God’s restoration in our lives is as a dream. It seems unreal and inexplicable. Frequently it is hard to connect the dots of his favor. All we know is we were as those who slumber and now are wide awake.

2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;

then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Joy and singing are our anthem. They are the true mark of a Christian. You cannot know Jehovah and long persist in dreary drudgery. Laugh believer, rejoice redeemed. You are richly blessed indeed!

When God does amazing things for his children, onlookers cannot help but notice. Some may jeer but all acknowledge that a supernatural force is at work in our midst.

3 The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.

May we in turn acknowledge that he has done great things. We must open our mouths are to be out with it. This is no place for silence.  This is no business for reticence. Arise, beloved. Tell of his goodness. Tell what he has done from the days of our spiritual fathers to this day.

4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negeb!

In the dry times of our lives, the Lord restores our fortunes like a wadi in the desert. Flash floods cascade torrentially in barren places resulting in unbelievable sprouting and blossoming.

5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

6 He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.

Our pains and tears water the dry places and lead to harvests we cannot imagine. This is a promise. Your tears were not in vain. Your tears are not in vain. They are precious to your maker. So much so that he collects them. He treasures them. They are earning for you an eternal glory. You shall reap. You shall laugh again. Jump for joy believer!

Weep if you must. Travail if you must. Sometimes God’s intervention is like a flash flood in your life. Other times it includes labor and waiting as you co-labor with him. What is your seed? Are you faithfully sowing it? Are you caring for the sick, the hungry, the imprisoned? This is your calling, farmer. Are you comforting the broken-hearted and binding up their wounds? Are you sowing seeds of the good news, the eruptive joy of being known by a savior? Weep with them, hold them close. Check in on them.

You will come home with shouts of joy. You will have a harvest. It will be as a dream. You will have piles of sheaves and your rejoicing will know no bounds.