“Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:4-5 (NIV)
These verses have always caught my attention. As a pastor, I interact with people in extreme situations. There can be extremely happy situations: a wedding, the birth of a new baby, a celebration. Also, there can be tragic situations: an auto crash, a work accident, someone was diagnosed with cancer, someone passed away. This week I had four interactions with people that were either in the extremely happy or tragic categories. In the tragic situations, there are lots of tears and lots of heartache.
There are very few days that I’m not aware of people that are hurting. Some of you are in that situation currently, some of you have been there recently, and all of us at some point will be there. So, we all need these verses to speak to us. Here’s what we need to do:
Sow tears
Sowing simply means to plant. When you plant a seed, you reap a harvest. What you sow, you reap. “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” Galatians 6:7 (NLT). In Psalm 126, the writer is talking about sowing with tears. What is this? Think about tears being an offering to God. “God, I’m hurting and I’m going to hurt in Your direction. God, I’m in pain, and I’m going to be in pain in Your direction. I am going to use this pain to draw my worship, my attention, my focus to you. I’m sowing in tears.”
In scripture, tears are mentioned several times. Tears of sadness, tears of hurt, tears of pain, tears of repentance. Here we are coming to God and using our tears as an offering. I’m sowing these to you. I’m giving you my hurt.
Reap songs of joy
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” Psalm 126:5-6 (NIV)
I’m not a very good singer, but I do love music. Heaven will be filled with lots of music, so I think I’ll get to practice some there. These verses picture for us where you’re crying, weeping, you’re hurting, and God changes all that into worship maybe days later, years later, decades later–to songs of joy.
Joy is a great word. It is different from happiness. Different from “I want to be happy.” Joy in Psalm 126 is attached to tears. Happiness is not. We are to take our struggles, hurt, pain and tears, and take them all to God. Say: “God, I’m giving You this hurt. I give this grief to You.”
“Those who sow with tears”, as you take them to God, as you give it to God, if you let your hurting be something that brings you to God–then: “Those who sow with tears, will weep with songs of joy.”
Be sure you confess–you’ll be blessed in the forgiveness you receive. But continue the process of repentance–do what God wants you to do. Walk by the Spirit of God being guided, strengthened, corrected, encouraged and realize God is changing you from the inside out.
You have a choice: To live life covered up or to confess before God.
