S)"2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
'The LORD has done great things for them.'
... 5 Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting."
Psalm 126:2, 5 (NASB)
O) Kristene Mueller has a really good rendition of this Psalm, the title track to her album, "Those Who Dream" I know that album really well, but I didn't know that she subtly changed one of the lines. In the Psalm, it says "Then they said among the nations," but in her song she sings, "We will sing among the nations," This isn't any kind of a problem, but I did pick something up, in looking at the actual verse. It's the surrounding nations who are glorifying God with that line, not Israel. It's that Israel is so boistrous, so raucus in their celebration about God's deliverence, that the nations around them cannot help but to take notice. Also, this is another instance where the neighboring nations refer to God by name. "LORD" is our English substitution for the name Jehovah, or Yahweh, or more literally JHVH, which is God's name. This is specifying that these other peoples, these heathens, they are acknowledging that the God of Israel is a living God. He is a real God.
A) My words can only be convincing to a certain point. The most effective ministry I can ever have is to show people the power of God in action. Not a god, but The God. In verse 2, the people surrounding Israel took notice because of the laughter and joyful shouting of Israel's victory. If I want people to know that God is real, and that He is for them if they'll have Him, then I need to be as open about my own celebration of His miracles as Israel was. To take this further, verse 5 says, "... sow in tears... reap with joyful shouting." If I really want my joyful shouting to be noticed, I need to have a better understanding and perspective in my times of sorrow. Am I simply crying? Or am I sowing my tears so that I will reap joyful shouting later? I can be sorrowful, as long as I am keeping my eyes toward the Lord of the Harvest.
P) Father, I want my life to be a proclamation of Your goodness. I have done plenty of crying in my life, LORD, but I know that it wasn't always productive. God, in times of struggle and distress, Holy Spirit, help me sow my tears. Let my first response be to turn to You, God, and cry out to You, and not just cry. And, as those tears are sown, let me reap with joyful shouting when You deliver me, God. Let my celebration of Your goodness be more than noticeable, but to be undeniable to those around me so that You are undeniable, LORD. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
P) Father, I want my life to be a proclamation of Your goodness. I have done plenty of crying in my life, LORD, but I know that it wasn't always productive. God, in times of struggle and distress, Holy Spirit, help me sow my tears. Let my first response be to turn to You, God, and cry out to You, and not just cry. And, as those tears are sown, let me reap with joyful shouting when You deliver me, God. Let my celebration of Your goodness be more than noticeable, but to be undeniable to those around me so that You are undeniable, LORD. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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