READING: Psalms 120-121, 123, 125-126
We don’t know for certain the situation for the people of God in Psalm 126, but we do know they longed for renewal of some sort. They trusted that God would do just that, eventually turning their tears into shouts of joy – but this day was still a day of longing for that to happen.
What gave them hope for the future were their memories of God’s blessing in the past. They recalled God’s restoring their fortune in their yesterdays. In fact, they spoke of times when their “mouths were filled with laughter” and their “tongues with shouts of joy” (Psa 126:2). Their glee in the Lord was overwhelming . . . abundant . . . fun . . . exciting. It was marked by what one writer has called “delirious happiness and relief.”*
That’s what the Lord does: He works in our lives, frees us, redeems us, fills us, loves us. We can laugh. We can sing. We can shout. We can rejoice. May the Lord remind us of these truths when we find ourselves in tough times.
PERSONAL REFLECTION: Can you speak today of times when you just laughed and rejoiced in the Lord?
DAILY PRAYER: “God, grant me laughter and shouting no matter what I face today.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Psalms 128-130, 132, 134-135
* Kidner, D. (1975). Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 474). InterVarsity Press.