A Joy for All to See
Psalm 126
A song of ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed.
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.
4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev.
5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.
In a survey of more than 700 subjects, Kathy Caprino — a senior contributor at Forbes, marriage and family therapist, and career coach — asked respondents to identify what they most desperately wanted in life. The question was: “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?”
I wonder about the church family. How would you respond?
In the survey, the number 1 response was happiness. Joy came in at number 5. Money — which, one would assume, would help you grab number 1 or number 5 — was number 2. Other answers were freedom, peace, balance, fulfillment, and confidence.
The participants in the survey identified a difference between happiness and joy, happiness is something temporary based on outside factors, joy being a constant stream based on an internal state of being that is not affected by turbulence or troublesome times. Happiness, while enjoyable, is fleeting. We get all excited and happy when something surprisingly positive happens to us. We tap out text messages flooded with emojis or send GIFs, those small moving pictures of a celebrity fist-pumping. It doesn’t take much to be happy. We win $5 on a scratch-off lottery ticket and go crazy. A parking spot magically appears.
Caprino’s audience would rather have happiness than joy. They’d rather have freedom than joy, peace, than joy. Most importantly, we’d rather experience regular short bursts of giddiness than anything else. People don’t seem to want long term sustainable joy, we want the short term good feelings over and over again. Relationships end because one partner can’t seem to keep the other happy. People leave jobs because the job does not make them happy anymore, people leave churches, because the pastor, or the choir, or the music ministry does not make them happy anymore. I’m not saying that people should not be happy, it’s ok to want to be happy, only that when we base our happiness on things that are quick to obtain and temporary, it becomes hard to stay happy over the long run when our situations change. When you have joy, you are not affected by your location or your situation.
The people in Psalm 126 had their respective situation change. Psalm 126 is a Song of Ascent, a song made for people traveling up to Jerusalem. Psalm 126 is unique in the fact that scholars could not tell at first if the writer was recalling history or predicting the future. The answer to that question is the same answer I give my wife when she asks if I want bacon or sausage for breakfast...yes.
The language is not either/or but both/and. This psalm is a reminder of what God has done and a reason to look forward to what God will do. Psalm 126 is a post-exilic psalm; the author is referring to the recent return of many Hebrews from Babylonian Captivity. The people had to deal with a new reality.
The Reality
Israel has been humiliated politically in front of all the neighboring countries. The people are crying real tears, they are in a drought which is bad for a community and society that thrived off of farming. The Hebrew people are planting seeds, in a drought, mentioning a place that is normally dry called the Negev, and the only water around is their tears. The Israelites were deported, the Israelites were out of their homes, away from those they knew, and something not mentioned before, this captivity had happened in front of surrounding nations. Could you imagine your country being embarrassed and the other countries around getting to see this embarrassment happening to your country?
The people in the text were crying real tears and the people today are crying real tears. Tears that have come from when you don’t know what to do. Tears that have come from pressure on a job, tears that have come from losing a job, tears that have come from losing a home, tears that have come from having to be the support for a family because everyone else around you is falling apart. I would be willing to bet that there is a pillowcase in someone’s house that has been washed by tears, soaked in a prayer that just repeatedly says; “Lord help me” The people of Israel and the people today were dealing with a new reality.
The Response
While in the bad times we can think back to the good times until times get good. But not only think positive thoughts, but we can also do something about it. The Israelites were crying but still planting seeds. Please watch the text, the people are crying but they are still sowing seed. They are emotional about the past but that is not stopping the people from working and moving forward. You can cry but go back to school, and/or get some certifications while you are crying. You can cry but start working out while you are crying. You can cry, but while you are crying, cut some expenses and debt down. You can cry, but while you are crying take up a personal finance class. You can cry, but while you are crying, learn a new skill.
I’m not saying you can’t cry, I’m not saying don’t exercise some self-care, I’m saying that the people of God were crying but still planting a seed in the ground while they are crying. You can cry about this while you do some work to improve it.
Cry your tears, keep crying, but plant some seeds while you cry. You may not see the harvest just yet, but you will after a little while. I would rather cry and plant the seed while I am crying, than cry and do nothing else. One way will leave you cried out and empty-handed, the other will give you some fruit.
Look forward to joy while in sorrow, look forward to peace while in a presently anxious situation the text says they were still sowing, while it was a drought, they were still sowing while they were crying so that they can reap later. We can get stuck crying about what we lost and never move forward. Remembering what God did, is not nostalgia, looking back to the “good ole days” but recalling our previous training. Thank God for what he has done, thank God for what he is doing, and thank God for what he is going to do. Call on God for his transforming power but call on us to be open to its possibilities. We don’t want to just ask God and then sit down; we can have faith and act on that faith, we can plant the seed and let God water it. Our faith in action is required. Sometimes even Jesus wasn’t able to heal people because they lacked faith. It's one thing to talk about what the Lord can do in your life, a whole different thing to believe it and act on it.
The Request
When the text says “restore the fortunes” is a call for historical change. The psalmist is speaking of historical change, substantial changes, not just surface level but long-lasting. When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem things had been changed forever more. The way they worshiped changed, the way they interacted with the community changed. This pandemic whether we want to admit it has changed our lives going forward, just like 9-11 changed how we fly on planes, just like the industrial revolution changed labor and travel, the return to Jerusalem by the Israelites changed worship. The text says God has turned things around before and will turn things around again. Even dry places like the Negev will have overflowing waters. The tears that they used to water the land were only a preview, God is going to provide restoration to the people and other neighboring nations will be able to see what God has done, even if they are non-believers. That is what the psalmist is talking about in verse two. Even the non-believers will say the Lord has done. Everyone is going to see the work of the Lord and they won't be able to deny it.
We can have joy in bad times because our joy is based internally and not just on the present situation. We can have joy because we know that God is trustworthy
My youngest daughter likes to do something new these days, she makes toys out of small items in the house. Did I say small items? I meant my small items. Small items like my earbuds that I use for working out and listening to audiobooks, small items like my wedding band. I like my earbuds; I REALLY like my wedding band. I was happy when I recently found my wedding band, however just because I lose my wedding band from time to time does not mean that I am not married anymore. I still am married, because the promise that I made is more important than the present situation or the item that reminds me of the promise. The people of God may have been in captivity, they may be on their way back to Jerusalem to rebuild what was lost, but the promise of the Lord is stronger than any temporary item. The promise of God is stronger than your current situation, the promise of God is stronger than your current location, the promise of God is stronger than any outsiders looking at you. Rejoice in the Lord. You went into the place weeping and you will come out singing songs of joy! Joy after heavy sorrow a joy that makes it that much better.
Rejoice is not only for this situation but how we are to come into the presence of God, because he has done great things, he is doing great things, he will continue to great things, bless his holy name! We have Joy not only because of these things but we have joy because the Lord is coming, Joy to the world, not just this church the world. Jesus is the reality, Jesus is the response to troublesome situations, Jesus is the answer to our requests, and Jesus is the real reason for Joy in the season.
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