My wife and I have been blessed with five children. Five times, I watched her endure excruciating labor pains. Why? For the joy of new life. Admiring her strength and hearing our babies’ first cries are five of the most remarkable miracles I have ever witnessed. Those moments reminded me of Psalm 126:5: “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.”
Psalm 126 is written in what might feel like reverse order. First, the psalmist rejoices at the harvest or reward. The exiles in Babylon praise God as if their anticipated return to the promised land has already been accomplished (vv. 1–3). Taken away in captivity, they’d returned home. Once sick, they’d regained health. The tears that watered the ground had reaped joy. These are powerful and surprising images. No one expects streams in the desert, but that’s what they were given. It felt like a dream! “The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy” (v. 3).
In the second half of the psalm, we return to the “sowing.” The people pray for God to “restore our fortunes” and bring them back to the promised land (vv. 4–6). They understand that this hope is not achievable in their own strength. “Those who go out weeping” do not typically “return with songs of joy.” Only God can make that happen. Their faith is strong—they’re not hedging their bets. They’d praised Him in advance for answering their prayer! We too can harvest joy from sorrow (see John 16:12–22). How? Because God. There is nothing we can do to make it happen. But in God’s grace and mercy, He can turn things around.
Go Deeper
Aren’t you thankful that, because of Jesus, we will not receive the deserved results of the sins we have sown? Find out how you too can have an assurance of salvation!
Pray with Us
As the God of the unexpected reversal, You deserve our praise. You bring beauty from ashes, joy from sorrow, and growth from pain. There is no One like You.
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.Psalm 126:5
