Difficult times produce a deep work in your soul. In the darkest moments, you may feel like you will never emerge from the struggle, but today’s passage will give you hope. Those tears you are shedding are sowing seeds for shouts of joy. Don’t lose hope if your outlook looks bleak. God has a way of breaking through the darkness.
PSALMS 126:5
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Celebrating the Joy
All of us have had those times where we shed enough tears that could water a plant. The hurt and pain that produced those tears were deep and left lasting scars. The Psalmist lays this out beautifully in this Psalm by comparing shedding tears to sowing seeds of Joy. At the beginning of the Psalm, he is celebrating the joy that the Lord has brought, and at the end, he remembers the sorrow the nation of Israel went through before.
A Season of Sorrow
If you are in a season of sorrow, remember that God is with you as you endure it but also that He will bring you out of it into a season of joy. Don’t despise the low times because God shows you your heart and where He is trying to make repairs. Those tears will bear fruit in your life at a later time. The burden you feel right now will always be there. God is faithful and at work in your life.
Sowing Seeds for Shouts of Joy
If you are in a season of joy, don’t forget the hard season you just emerged from. Remember to give God the glory for bringing you through the valley of darkness. The fruit you are enjoying right now is partly due to the tilling that was done of fallow ground during your low point. When you encounter someone in the stage of sowing tears, be their biggest encourager. Show them how God is faithful and how they will make it through.