Psalm 126 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 126 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
Verse 2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."
Verse 3The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
Verse 4Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
Verse 5May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
Verse 6Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
Devotion
Psalm 126 is a shorty; just six verses. It begins with an account of the joy inspired by God’s favor toward the people in former times: “Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy” (v. 2). It then closes with a prayer that God would do it again: “Restore our fortunes” (v. 4) so we can again have “shouts of joy” (v. 5). That’s it. Psalm over. It seems our lives are both unlike and like this Psalm. They’re unlike it in that, as Christians, we understand that God does not favor us with grace, then take it away. God’s love and forgiveness are constant. Our lives are like the Psalm in that most people see their own life as a “shorty,” but it is often long enough that the magnitude of our former joy over God’s grace can lessen over time due to familiarity.
Prayer
Gracious God, open our eyes anew. Let us see the awesome gift that is you through never-ending tears of joy. Amen.