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
Every growing season, we anxiously await weather reports. Will there be the right amount of precipitation for the abundant harvest we seek? While most of us may live farther from the fields than the Old Testament people of God did, folk living on the land know the shouts of joy and the tears of sorrow that the seasons bring.
In this Lenten season, we may have our own tears. For many of us, they may come from the suffering of severe sickness, the loss of loved ones to death or the struggle found in relationships gone wrong. Horrendous headlines break through whatever shelter we may know to speak of great suffering beyond our own skin. But perhaps these tears can be seeds out of which our creative Creator can bring joy. Surely, we will keep Lent’s grieving these days, but we trust in the day that brings a new season.
Prayer
Creating God, we bring you our tears and the tears of those who know not Your name. Work, we pray, your transforming miracle to bring joy to all who suffer. Amen.