A Traveling Psalm
“The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.”
- Psalm 126:3
Today’s verse is one that often makes its way onto greeting cards or daily inspirational calendars. There’s a good reason for this: The Lord has done great things for us. We should be filled with joy. But what happens when we’re not? When the joy in life is hard to find? That is when we need to read the verse within the context of the entire psalm. There we find a more complete expression of the complex range of emotions we experience as we travel through life.
Psalm 126 is part of a collection of psalms known as the “Psalms of Ascent” (Psalms 120-134). These were probably recited by the Israelites as they went up to the temple in Jerusalem to celebrate their annual Feast Days. Filled with laughter, joy and praise, the psalm begins on a high note. The travelers recount the past and rejoice over what the Lord has done. Whether this refers to their return from exile, or some other great work God has done for them, they are filled with so much joy that even the surrounding nations acknowledged that God has done great things for Israel.
But their joy is not yet complete. The second half of the psalm expresses how their lives are still difficult. Filled with deserts, sorrow, and weeping they pray for relief. The joy of the psalm does not ignore the pain and sadness that continues to be part of Israel’s daily life.
Today, we are traveling through Advent towards Christmas. We are eager to celebrate the birth of Jesus and remember what God has done. We join the Israelites’ jubilant song as we sing “Joy to the World, the Lord is come!” remembering that Jesus came to earth to set us free from our bondage to sin and death.
But our joy is also not yet complete. Christmas can be a particularly difficult time for many people. The loss of loved ones aches a little more this time of year. Strained and broken relationships weigh heavy. Financial struggles and health challenges steal our joy, especially in a year like 2020.
Psalm 126 helps us work through this tension. It’s in the very struggles and challenges of life that Israel, and we today, learn to trust that the God who has done great things for us in the past also holds our future. Because of Christ, whose birth we are waiting to celebrate, the seeds we sow in tears today will return with songs of joy. At the final harvest, our joy will be made complete. God’s goodness in the past and his promises for the future allow us to proclaim in the present that “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!”
~Anneke de Jong