As a child, I often prayed for my grandma to come and rescue me from a messy home life with parents who loved us but had so many issues of their own, they had little time or capability to care for me and my two sisters. When I cried and prayed to the Lord, He seemed to always hear me and my godly Grandma would come, and often take us to stay with her for a while. I knew from past experiences that life would be more peaceful and happier when that happened, and it was.
The pilgrim in this psalm seems to be walking through a sad or tough season but remembers joyful times of restoration that seemed like a dream and longs for the Lord to do it again. Read Psalm 126 verses 4-6 from The Message:
And now, GOD, do it again— bring rains to our drought-stricken lives. So those who planted their crops in despair will shout hurrahs at the harvest, So those who went off with heavy hearts will come home laughing, with armloads of blessing.
Remembering the good things God has done strengthens our faith and our resolve in hard times. It gives us hope that He will do for us what He has done before just as it did this psalmist. We all go through hard seasons in life, times when we are holding on by a thread. But even in times of despair, if we can hold onto a tiny seed of hope, our joy will be restored. Psalm 30 tells us that weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. And when He doesn’t do it exactly the same way as in the past we can hold onto the truth from Psalm 56:8 that says He keeps track of all my sorrows and He has collected all my tears in His bottle. He has recorded each in His book. Our tears are important to Him.
Sometimes in the moment, we don’t see God working, but later we can see He was working everything out according to His good and perfect purpose. So we can pray in those moments, ‘Thank you Lord for how you are going to work this all out, though I can’t see how right now, I know you are in control and have a plan.’ Read with me Isaiah 55:8-9, think of times when God has protected or rescued you, and thank HIm.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Deb Hill
Executive Assistant