God's Great Deeds Bring Us Great Joy
The Lord hath done great things for us, we are glad. (Ps. 126:3)
Ps. 126; Ezra 1; Ps. 122; Ps. 137; Jn. 4:19-26; I Pet. 1:8
What Is God Saying?
The 126th Psalm is one of The Songs of Ascent (120-134) which form a collection of songs sung by the faithful as they made their ascent to Jerusalem. The themes vary widely from tears to laughter, from sorrow to joy, and from need to abundant fulfilment. The focus is the City of Jerusalem, ‘I was glad when they said to me, Let us go to the House of the Lord,’ and ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem ... may they prosper who love you!’ and ‘Peace be within your walls.’ Psalm 122 is the keystone for all these psalms of hope, joy, and comfort.
God delivered His people from the bondage and humiliation of long years in Babylonia. In captivity, they longed to be there. ‘If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth’ (Ps. 137:4-6). The exiles recalled the pain of the past and rejoiced in the sweetest of all blessings, freedom. How good Jerusalem must have seemed to them. It was like the water rushing down the riverbeds of the Negeb, which for most of the year are barren, dry, and lifeless. Those who sowed in tears reaped with shouts of joy. Their footsteps were less weary because of the song that lifted their spirits.
How Does This Apply To Us?
We do not climb a long road to be in God's Presence. Jesus said to the woman at the well, ‘The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. The Father seeks worshipers who come to him to worship in Spirit and in truth’ (Jn. 4:19-26). Coming to Him produces effects and emotions similar to those contained in our Psalm. There is a reason for shouts of joy and songs of victory (126:2). Our worship tells the world and reminds us that God has done great things to make us glad (126:3). In His presence the dry streams flow again (126:4). We may weep in a lonely night, but we come with joy in the morning to One who never left us (126:5-6). In ‘returning and rest’ we find salvation, joy, and hope (Isa. 30:15).
Pray With Me
Dear Lord, whatever the present holds, I am thankful. It may be tempest or calm. It may be sunshine or shadow. It may be success or disappointment. Whatever happens to me now in the wisdom of Your providence, my prayer is offered above all in the gladness of thanksgiving and faith for I remember the great things You have done beyond all my deserving. I have the gladness of faith, for I am persuaded that Your power is as invincible as Your love is boundless. Your providence is not based on whim or fortune. It is subject neither to change nor chance. ‘The Lord hath done ....’ This is the record. It is built on fact. Faith fearlessly faces the future. Faith remembers blessings received, victories won, problems solved, and burdens lifted. That is why we are glad. Thanksgiving for what You have done and faith in what You are doing. These, O God, are the sources of my gladness, too deep to be touched by present pain, too real to be disturbed by doubt, and too strong to be dislodged by past circumstances. Most of all, dear Lord, my gladness is traced to the great thing You did in giving Your Son to be my Redeemer, to lift me from the bondage of sin, to deliver me from the tyranny of habit, and to break the shackles of existence dedicated to self, destined for death. ‘The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.’
To the praise of His name who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
Prayer is trusting that what God has done is the basis of hope and confidence for what God will do. Let there be more gladness in our prayers. Let there be more joy in our faith. We have the best hope. God has done great things, but He is not through. Prayer lays claim to that.
