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
Eleven years ago my Dad died of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It was just one year after my wife's Mom and Dad had died, so our grief seemed unbearable. During these eleven years, God has given us two sons and a daughter whose middle names were chosen to honor their grandparents. Over the years tears of sorrow have been turned into shouts of joy!
Psalm 126 talks about how our Lord restores fortune. Where there were once tears and weeping, expressions have now been turned into shouts of joy! As we move through the Lenten season, we witness much sorrow and grief around us in our personal lives, community, nation and world. The death and destruction we witness may feel so unbearable that they bring a river of tears that seems endless. Because our hope and faith is in our Savior Jesus Christ, who through death brings new life, we can say in confidence that our tears of sorrow will be turned into shouts of great joy!
Prayer
Lord of everlasting life, provide us hope and strength during our time of sorrow and grief until the day comes when we can shout for great joy! Amen.