[Psalms] Joyful DreamerSample

Seeds of Joy

Psalm 126 reminds us that after the Israelites were filled with joy, they cried out to the Lord to restore their fortunes like the rain restores the water to the streams in the desert. They knew that even though they had sown in tears, they would reap with joy. Keep planting in hard times. We started this Psalm with laughter and joy, we are ending with weeping and sorrow. That is the spectrum of life that we will face in our lives at one point or another. 

The Negev is a dry desert in Israel where there is nothing but some crevices. But in the rainy season, at a time unexpected, a storm would roll in, the bottom would fall out, and those crevices would fill with water. The desert would miraculously turn into raging rivers. 

This happens in our lives as well. The healing and the finances come. The business deal happens. Mom was infertile and she got pregnant. We did not know it was coming but the bottom fell out, the rain fell, and the living water filled up the watercourse in our desert. God does immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine. 

Salvation is very much like that. We did not earn it. We trusted in the living water of Jesus Christ to fill our dry and cracked heart, then streams of His living water flow from us as believers.

This Psalm also speaks of hard walking: “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy.” Somebody with a bag of seeds is throwing them out, weeping in their pain as they walk. Do not waste your pain. Invest your pain. God will take your misery and He will make it a ministry. God will use you to give sheaves of joy. 

A family from church had a dear family member die; that person was an organ donor. They got a letter from the person who received the donated organ. They met and talked, and this family has received such joy. Out of great tragedy. They walked and planted seeds, even in the midst of their grief. God can do amazing seed planting when it is watered by our tears. He can bring a harvest as you have never seen before.

Stand up and say, “Lord, step by step in my tears, I’m going to continue to throw out the seed,” and the joy will come.