Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 126:1-6
Psalms 126:1-6
1 When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.” 3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. 4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
The apostle Paul says in his prayer for the Ephesians that God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all we can ask or think. We cannot even imagine what God can do for us if we open our lives and our hearts to him. In that same prayer Paul says we are empowered by the Holy Spirit as he lives in us. As we make plans in life and we dream of what might be, we are to allow God to mold us and situate us so that he is able to carry out his plans in us.
All of us have been held captive to sin. It is by the power of God that we have been able to overcome and be returned to the place of fellowship with God. He has broken the bonds of slavery and freed us to live for him in Christ Jesus. So we rejoice with songs of joy knowing that the Lord has done and continues to do great things among us. We are filled with his joy.
But what if my life is filled with trouble, sorrow, grief, problems, sickness or temptations that overwhelm me? How do I rejoice in these? Some days it seems that life is so bleak that it is hard to even get up or put one foot ahead of the other. How can I deal with this?
We serve a Lord who has been through everything we face or can face in life. He has been through it all and has overcome the greatest weapon the enemy can hurl at us and that is death. Jesus lives and he lives for you and me. He knows just what we feel and he talks to God on our behalf. He has promised he will never leave us but will always be with us. This is why Paul says that we serve the God of all comforts who comforts us with just what we need, when we need it. This then allows us to share that comfort with others who face the same things.
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love for me. I thank you for the comfort, the strength and the joy you give me, even when I have nowhere else to turn. Give me greater faith so I can see the benefit in trials and how these make me better fit to live with you in eternity. Help me rejoice in the Lord always as I put my trust in you. God, help me remember that my life is not about me but about bringing glory to you and honor to your name. Help me forget myself so I can be immersed in you and your love. I pray in the name of Jesus my brother and my king.
--Robert
