Daily Devotions: Psalm 126

Psalm 126

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
   we were like those who dream. 
Then 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.’ 
The Lord has done great things for us,
   and we rejoiced. 

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
   like the watercourses in the Negeb. 
May those who sow in tears
   reap with shouts of joy. 
Those who go out weeping,
   bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
   carrying their sheaves.

Read this psalm hymn over a few times to get the true feeling present within it. 

Do you feel the joy in the words? A restoration joy? 

This is the joy we feel when we know we've been delivered through some terrible existence, captivity, malady, or curse. We feel completely free knowing that we can begin again with new dreams, renewed hope, and the freedom to laugh and rejoice. This is not a state of being we can create for ourselves. You know this to be true if you've ever suffered anxiety, worry, or depression. One day you feel awful, like there is no hope in the world, that the darkness will swallow you whole; the next day you can barely remember how desperate you felt. This newness of life comes to us by the Spirit of God - plain and simple is the fact that we cannot manufacture it on our own. No amount of positive thinking will create restoration joy! It is a gift of the Spirit to us even in times of sorrow. Our freedom comes from Christ, through his death and resurrection we are given restoration and a new beginning. (Daily!! Moment by moment even!) 

This is cause for great joy!

Loving God, we give you thanks for pulling us out of the muck and mire of this human life and giving us a chance to dream again. Fill us with your Holy Spirit that we would be filled with joy and laughter all our days. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.