Psalm 126
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us;
we are glad.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like streams in the Negeb!
5 Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
6 He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
Reflecting this morning on tears and seeds... and hope. "The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad." Thanks be to God. But there are times of tears, of sadness, confusion and frustration; times of tragedy and grief.
But even in those times, do we have any seed? Do we have any faith, even the teeny-tiniest bit? ("I believe, help my unbelief!") Any fruit of the Spirit (in which are seeds...)?
Jesus' very passion is, once again, the ultimate example of this. Amidst suffering and tears and grief, he sowed the seed of his body (John 12:24), and that principal fruit of the Spirit, love (John 13:1), as he "loved them to the end."
And of course his Father vindicated him, and we who trust and love him will be his harvest one day, and will come home with shouts of joy.
What seed can we sow today? Even if it must be watered with our tears?
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